Feasibility analysis for chitosan as an effective coagulant in public health engineering

Rapid industrialization and urbanization has resulted in several of nature's water resources becoming unfit for most of its originally intended purposes, thereby posing a great threat to public health and aquatic eco-systems; and as well severely increasing the challenges in cleanup. In the current study, the applicability of chitosan as a coagulant on domestic wastewater samples obtained from sewage farm has been probed. Chitosan as cationic polysaccharide is an important natural coagulant biopolymer obtained by de-acetylation of chitin which is the second most abundant material on earth. The methodology primarily decided the optimum dosage of chitosan and of commercially available ferric chloride from Jar-Test experiment as to be 15 and 30 mg/l respectively whilst removing physico-chemical parameters. The studies indicate that when compared with ferric chloride; chitosan is a better coagulant in the removal of turbidity, solids, nitrates, phosphates, sulphates and BOD5, at lower dosage. Also the application of chitosan neither alters the pH nor contributes to the organic content of wastewater. It is bio-degradable, thereby minimizing sludge disposal problems. The study economically concludes that chitosan is a more effective-economical coagulant.