(655b) Ewb-Ecuador/Usfq Project: Contaminant Removal from Effluents through the Use of Moringa Oleifera Seeds for Application in Ecuadorian Rural Communities

The proposed project is part of a multidisciplinary MORINGA PROJECT IN ECUADOR, where the main areas of investigation are based on science and engineering fields for application in drinking and water resources recovery facilities as well as in rural communities. This water project is led by the Chemical and Mechanical Engineering members part of the Engineers Without Borders initiative from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.

Moringa Oleifera (MO) leafs, seeds and pods are characterized by having adsorptive properties and can be used as natural coagulants and flocculants, as well as filtration medium. Moringa varieties have become an environmental alternative to commonly used reagents used in drinking and wastewater treatment which have been proven to be more expensive than natural sorbents. Aware of the excessive cost of chemicals used in water treatment it is worth looking for substitutes and to propose new environmentally friendly technologies that could be adapted in drinking and water resources plants.

MO seeds available in Ecuador are mainly being used for dietary purposes, and they possess yet to be explored properties, therefore it is imperative to propose new technologies and find new MO based materials that can provide solutions to specific purposes such as: metal removal, emerging contaminant removal (e.g. caffeine, triclosan, carbamacepine, acesulfame), turbidity removal, bacteria and larvae removal, among others.

The first phase of the project consisted on performing batch experiments to explore: metal and caffeine removal, and coagulation-flocculation processes where different pretreatments were applied to MO seeds. Artificial water and real effluents (river water and waste water effluent) were used. From these results and previous knowledge of common sand filters, a technology that incorporates MO seeds is being developed and tested in a pilot-scale water resource recovery facility, that could be ultimately implemented in rural communities such as those affected by april's 2016 earthquake, in the Esmeraldas and Manabí Provinces.

From a rigorous and scientific point of view, on a second phase, the dynamic water filtration system team is exploring the effects of other parameters that may influence the adsorption capacity of this biological material, such as particle size, pH, and the use of specific sections of MO seeds, including inner and outer layers and different combinations of those, the use of multicomponent and real water, etc.

Evidently, the inclusion of green methodologies in drinking and water resources recovery facilites, as well as the possibility of planting Moringa Oleifera in affected areas, can benefit the environment and improve the quality of life of inhabitants. It is worth noticing that Moringa Oleifera exist in Pedernales, which was tragically devastated after april’s earthquake.

From a process engineering perspective, on a third phase, the goal is to propose laboratory and pilot scale technologies that can help mitigate or observe a desire effect during a process. For this goal, the characterization of MO is necessary to complement and/or to contribute during the decision making process before, during and after the application of a process. Processes (mechanisms) that are currently being studied are: adsorption, coagulation & flocculation, and sedimentation.

Technically, results will help to gain insights about metal and emerging contaminant transport and fate, identify tracers, establish heavy metal removal methods, investigate and propose economically feasible removal methods, develop and implement unit operations at a pilot plant and larger scale, produce MO based products and technologies, promote the strenghtening of water quality regulations.