Moringa oleifera and other local seeds in water purification in developing countries

The drinking water qualities in three countries in the South Pacific Islands, namely Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati, were examined due to the deteriorating water quality. This paper reports the uses of the seeds of the local plant Moringa oleifera and a few other local seeds, such as peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), urad (Vigna mungo) and corn (Zea mays) for their effectiveness in water clarification as natural coagulants in water treatment in the South Pacific. Moringa oleifera seeds contain proteins that have active coagulation properties and are being used for turbidity removal in many countries. The quality of the treated water was analyzed and experiments were conducted. on different dosages of Moringa oleifera seeds. Determinations of pH, turbidity, hardness as calcium and magnesium, heavy metals and nutrient levels were conducted before and after treatment with Moringa oleifera and other seeds. In this study, Moringa seeds were found to be better than the other seeds in turbidity removal and had greater potential for water purifications than the other seeds tested. The use of the local Moringa seeds for clarification is therefore useful in the purification of drinking water in developing countries, since other chemicals used in water purification are expensive.