Potential of Moringa oleifera Seeds as a Natural Coagulant for Turbidity and LAS Removal from Detergent Wastewater

Abstract

Detergent wastewater contains high levels of surfactants, particularly Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS), which are persistent and harmful to aquatic ecosystems. This study evaluated the potential ofMoringa oleiferaseed (MOS) extract as a natural coagulant for detergent wastewater, compared with alum as a synthetic coagulant. The coagulation process was carried out using the jar test method at varying dosages (100–1500 mg/L) and pH levels (4–9). Turbidity was measured following SNI 06-6989.25-2005, while LAS concentration was analysed using the Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS) method. Under pH-optimized conditions, MOS achieved95.63% turbidity removal and 71.31% LAS removal at pH 4 (1500 mg/L), whereas alum performed best atpH 6–7 (200 mg/L), reaching 52.79% turbidity removal (pH 6) and 38.79% LAS removal (pH 7).Validation on stored wastewater (1–3 nights) further indicated that MOS provided more consistent reductions in both turbidity and LAS than alum. An in-silico docking study also confirmed the molecular interaction between LAS and MOS proteins (binding energy –4.8 kcal/mol), supporting the observed experimental results. Overall, MOS demonstrates strong potential as a sustainable, effective, and low-cost alternative to alumfor detergent wastewater treatment