Running head: WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 1

Hybrid Potable Water Filtration System With Flocculation And Coagulation

For Aeta Community

Alyssa Mae F. Takeshima

Holy Angel University

Author’s Note

The authors of this study are students from Holy Angel University, Angeles City under

the Department of Civil Engineering of the School of Engineering and Architecture. This is in

partial fulfilment of their requirements in the subject Civil Engineering Projects.

Further concerns and inquiries about this paper should be addressed to, Alyssa Mae F.

Takeshima, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, Holy

Angel University, Angeles City

Email: alyssatakeshima14@gmail.com

Engr. Avie S. Timbol

March 13, 2019

 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 2

Hybrid Potable Water System with Flocculation and Coagulation for Aeta Community in Subic

Background of the Study

Water is human’s basic needs. One of the most important needs in human life is water

generally on earth because not only people need water to survive but also living things like

animals and plants. Water in a person’s body is used continuously, it needs to be replaced

continuously with water also. According to the article of Thairu (n.d.), while learning geography,

if water on earth has an availability of two out of three and according to science, the water in a

humans’ body is 70 % and therefore, it concludes that no life can survive without water. At an

early age, persons are taught about how important water can be and how human need it to

survive. And because of that humans have a knowledge in two different situation which is the

knowledge on the importance of water and the knowledge about the consequences that the world

can suffer because of the actions of humans but humans still pollute water resources and the

atmosphere that bring commodities that humans need. That concludes the statement in the article

of Thairu (n.d), humans are one of the reasons why world is facing one of the most severe

problem that is happening now a days.

In today’s generation having a supply of water is insufficient due to the growth of population

and overusing water. According to the article of New Security Beat (2012), one out of three

people in the population of the world in each country has a need of water in a range of moderate

to high and by 2025, due to the continuous increase of population, the people that will be

needing water in the range of moderate to high will become two out of three people. Mostly, the

source of clean and potable water for every day purposes is the one that is consumed fast. The
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 3

common method that uses aluminum sulphate that can purify water is well-known and it is done

and approved by many researchers, but it is not economical enough and it is unaffordable for low

– income residents. They depend in getting a water source through dams, rivers, and lakes. These

water sources are usually not clean, and it is contaminated. According to United States

Environmental Protection Agency (2002), some of the reasons why these sources are

contaminated is due to the activities that humans do and some of that wastewater flows back to

the water resources that most people get their source of water from and it affects the water

resources that earth have. The water that is unclean and contaminated can cause many diseases

and can harm humans. Contaminated water can cause diarrhea, cholera, some serious illness like

guinea worm diseases, Typhoid, and dysentery and these diseases can lead to death (Vestergaard,

2014). According to Postnote (2002) cited by Amagloh (2009), 1.6 million are forced to use

contaminated water and Vestergaard (2014)’s article also reported that 3.4 million deaths is

happening each year caused by water related diseases.

The method to purify water with Aluminum Sulphate has been approved many times by

many researchers because of its capability to purify water in a short period of time and the

removal of high turbidity in water but this method is not appropriate especially to the average

people who earn enough for their family’s needs. The method of water purification with

aluminum sulphate is not economical and it is still not safe for the people to use because alum is

chemical, and it is a big risk for the health of the people who would get a drink from it.

According to the article Hunter water, the concern about the purification of water using

aluminum sulphate is under observation/ debate because using alum can cause diseases

specifically, Alzheimer’s disease but in the year 1998, the Commonwealth Scientific and
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 4

Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) researched about the issue and found an evidence that

the purification of water with aluminum sulphate is safe but even if there are findings that

aluminum is safe to use, some researchers are convinced that it is not safe. Like the research

work of Crapper et al. (1973) and Miller et al. (1984), they showed the evidences that the

chemicals (e.g. Aluminum sulphate, etc.) used for purifying water can cause illness if there are

any mistakes happen during the procedure of the treatment. The research indicates that a high

amount of aluminum intake in the brain is a risk for Alzheimer’s disease but then again in Davis

(2006) research had not found any evidence that aluminum sulphate is a risk for the said disease.

There is a need to investigate and research for water purification without using any

chemicals and it is environmentally friendly and it will benefit and will be available to the areas

who need it especially for the poor ones. The use of natural coagulants in alternative for

chemical coagulants for purification of water is not a new information/knowledge/idea for a

research Ndabigengesere et al. (1995) and Madsen et al. (1987) cited by Amagloh (2009).

According to Madsen et al., 1987; Oslen, 1987; Postnote, 2002 cited by Amagloh (2009), among

the experiments they have done for the natural coagulant in alternative for alum, the powder of

Moringa oleifera is the most effective coagulant and it can therefore be compared to alum

(common chemical coagulant). Many researchers have the proof that Moringa Oleifera is

effective for alternative of alum but despite that the study of Wang et al. (2013) proved that

Moringa Oleifera has its weakness that can create difficulty to achieve the treated water or it can

result to a delay or obstruction in a large amount of sample of unclean water. These weaknesses

can result to an increase of total organic carbon in water. According to the blog of Seibel (2014)

organic compound in combination with other elements in producing molecules that may be
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 5

harmful to the product and the environment after the discharge of the water. High organic

content means an increase in microorganisms’ growth and can lead to several disease.

Moringa Oleifera is one of the natural alternatives that the researcher tried to compare to

aluminum sulphate as a coagulant that showed a result close to the aluminum sulphate (chemical

coagulant), the process or method to a treatment of water is the process of flocculation –

coagulation. It helps to remove particles such as turbidity in water and the microorganisms that

causes illness to humans. This process is common for water purification. Even if this process is

approved and used in an experiment or used for the improvement of many researchers, there are

still disadvantages that the other researchers can use to form their improvements through the

disadvantages of flocculation – coagulation process. These disadvantages include the coagulant

that has been used to many times before is chemical, the chemical product is a great coagulant

for the treatment of water, and it is not advisable in today’s researchers due to the disadvantage

of the chemical to the body of humans. Another disadvantage is the process consuming a lot of

time because the experimenter will have to wait until the particle settled and it might take a few

hours for a container and what more for larger containers. The disadvantages of flocculation –

coagulation came from the article of Mazille et al., 2018. Not only disadvantages that

flocculation - coagulation method have, there are also advantages and that include the simplicity

of the whole process, economically friendly especially today that there are natural alternatives

for chemical coagulant that is safer and more economical. Another advantage is many kinds of

particles from raw/contaminated water can be removed using this process. The advantages of

flocculation – coagulation method came once again to Mazille F. et. al., 2018. Even if this
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 6

method has disadvantages, researchers still pursues this method because of its efficiency and

economical friendly for people.

Moringa Oleifera is one of the effective natural coagulant for the treatment of unclean

and contaminated water. There are still a lot of ways on the treatment of unclean and

contaminated water aside from flocculation – coagulation and that includes the conventional

process of slow sand filtration. Slow Sand Filtration is effective in removing turbidity and

microorganisms for the treatment of water (Schijven, 2011). WHO and UN ranked slow sand

filtration as the superior method for the treatment of surface water (WHO, 2009, cited by Juni

2015). World Health Organization (WHO) considered slow sand filtration as the simplest

method for the treatment of water. It is adapted by many rural areas because of its simplicity in

its process (Huisman & Wood, 1974. Cited by Juni 2015). Many researchers have been using

slow sand filtration for many reasons, firstly because slow sand filtration is very effective in

removal of different kind of bacteria and turbidity from untreated water. Second, the simplicity

of constructing the slow sand filtration system which results to a minimal maintenance. Third,

the materials are very easy to find, and it is not difficult to construct the whole filtration system.

Fourth, unlike flocculation – coagulation, there is a chemical that is required for the treatment

but in slow sand filtration there is no need for the existence of chemical. Lastly, the filtration

system has a long-life span and the residents in the community can use it without any worry that

it might broke for a short time. These disadvantages of slow sand filtration came from the

journal of Juni, 2015. After seeing the good side or the advantages of the slow sand filtration,

there’s also disadvantages that this filtration system has. First, the slow filtration rate and the

slow discharge of treated water from the container. Second, the existence of algae in the inlet
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 7

water is easily be formed. Even if slow sand filtration has an advantage of its simplicity in

constructing the filtration system and the maintenance is minimal due to that, monitoring of the

filtration system is a must because the filter system must always be clean and if not, the filtration

system may not able to do its purpose and can cause the filtration system to be clogged. The

filtration system is efficient enough that the disadvantages did not matter at all, but still other

researcher can develop their improvements to resolve the remaining disadvantages. Again, these

disadvantages came from the journal of Juni (2015).

The researcher conducted an idea to combine the two methods to evaluate the

effectiveness of the treatment for a large amount of raw water. One of disadvantages of the

coagulation – flocculation process when the most effective natural coagulant (Moringa Oleifera)

are used too much, the bacteria will increase rather than the bacteria becomes less due to the

treatment. One of the objectives is the research will be experimental so that the researcher can

prove and can see if the researcher’s findings and research is effective and can be applied to

large volume of water and if the research design proposal of the researcher can able to achieve

treating a large volume of raw or untreated water.

 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 8

Statement of the Problem

Government has been monitoring the number of population and the rapid increase each

year and According to the blog of Roser et al., (2017), there were less than a billion humans

living in the world last 200 years and according to the United Nation’s estimate the population

gained to over 7 billion humans in the world. They added that in how many years that the

population grows slowly but in these past recent years, to be specific in today’s generation the

growth of population has become alarming. Due to the issue that the world is continually

experiencing, more serious problems are coming through such as insufficient supply of drinking

water and sanitation, experiencing the rotational cut of water supply due to the shortage of the

supply of water and environmental issues/ problems/ dilemmas.

This study focused only to the province of Zambales, municipality of Subic. The

residents in the municipality of Subic experienced different problems but most especially

problem in the source of running water due to the numerous people they have in a community

and the pipes that flows water to them divides the water in each house and the result to that is the

residents don’t get enough water in a period in a day. Due to the privilege attached on safe water

that can only be attained by people who can only pay/ low income families are having

difficulties, tap water would be the best solution for the residents in the community for their

source of drinking water and sanitation but the residents wait until midnight just to have access

to water and store enough water for the whole day. Some residents tried to put pumps to make

the flow of water to theirs faster, but the government did not allow it because the pump can get

all the water that it can get to its destination and some residents that does not have pumps will be

having difficulty in getting access to water. Some residents that do not have enough water
 WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 9

usually get their water through the water streams but in today’s generation some of the places

that used to have a clean water streams are now unclean or there’s no water at all (Researchers’

experience).

The main problem that causes it to be more difficult for the residents to live a healthy life

includes:

• What would be the appropriate research design that can help residents to have access in

clean water and safe drinking water?

• What would be the appropriate design to help the residents to have an access of clean

water without waiting for a long period of time?

• Who is the affected in the problem?

• Is it economical for the people who cannot afford treated water?

• Does two combined method of filtrating unclean and contaminated water can help to

filtrate a large amount of water sample?

• How much natural coagulant will you mix to the raw water to achieve and pass the

testing of water to be a potable water?

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 10

Objectives of the study

General Objective

The study aims to provide an access of enough water for everyday purposes and an

access of safe and clean drinking water especially for those people that is unable to provide a

treated water for their families.

The research will have its purpose to achieve the following:

• This research paper is proposing a filtration system through the slow sand filtration

process with the method of flocculation - coagulation.

• It shall propose a research design to make the flow faster than the usual.

• It is to help people in poor communities, if the research proposal will be approved, to

have a safe and clean water/drinking water.

• The proposal for filtration system should be economical enough that government can

provide for the communities who need the attention in this issue.

• It evaluates the effectiveness of combined flocculation – coagulation method and

slow sand filtration as a treatment to a large amount of unclean and contaminated

water.

• The research paper can identify the amount of powder of Moringa Oleifera that will

be mix in the untreated water to achieve or pass the testing of water to be a potable

water.
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 11

Significance of the Study

The research study’s purpose is to help residents to have clean and safe drinking water

and sanitation in every community that is having a difficulty in source of potable water and

sanitation. The following significance is specified to describe in the study. Firstly, this study will

be a big help for the society to have an access of clean and potable water step by step until the

whole process is ready for the people to use. Especially for the people who is having a problem

financially, even the government or people that has the position in the politics in every town or

also called as mayor can help by providing filtration system in every community. Especially to

the Philippines, specifically in the province of Zambales, municipality of Subic. The research

study can help to lessen at least one of the problems that the world has. Second, the study will

have its way to lessen the waiting time that the residents in Subic has for water. Especially for

the children, that is prone to illness. That is the objective why the pump is located at the top of

the filtration system. Lastly, this study will help to increase the growing knowledge and

evidences on the importance of making sure that improvement of water treatment to water scarce

areas especially to the low – income families will continue and make the treatment better and

more economical for people. This research paper can add to the information of the government to

help them to think of a way to resolve the problem and to help people in each community that’s

on the inadequate situation.

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 12

Theoretical Framework

The other researchers made and published their researches many times and are

professionals in doing a research. The next researcher just needs to get his/her own research and

improve what is left by another researcher. There are many methods that other researchers had

formulate that can help the current researcher to formulate his/her own research. In this study the

past methods or process of previous researchers that the current researcher had found includes:

1. Water Cycle

According to the book The National Academic of Science Engineering Medicine found in

website, the cycle of the water describes the circulation of water in its liquid, solid, and vapor

stage and the process flows and move through the atmosphere, land, river, lakes, water streams,

and oceans specifically it states only to the water sources of the Earth. (The photo was taken to

the book of Hepperly P.R. et al., 2004)

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 13

According to discussion of Madaan in her article, the common and the knowledge of most of the

people about the process of the cycle of water involves evaporation, condensation, and

precipitation. Evaporation occur over the water sources’ surface like rivers, lakes, water stream,

and oceans. The moisture of the evaporated part rises to the atmosphere from the water resources

as a water vapor. When this happens, only water can be evaporated, and the others will be left

behind. That concludes that evaporation purifies water. The Condensation process where water

vapor changes to liquid state due to the increased amount of vapor, freezing temperature, or air

cooling. The vapor that is condensed forms into a fog, or clouds. The condensed vapor that form

into a cloud will become too large and heavy and they will drop and fall back to the Earth’s

water resources and that is called precipitation. This process is important due to the source of

water of the study. Rivers, Lakes, and Water streams are the water sources of this study that can

help the residents of Subic find the solution to their problem.

2. Flocculation – Coagulation Process

This process is for the treatment of water and it is a conventional method for treating water.

It is a technique for treatment of water using chemical as a coagulant

▪ Coagulation

Chemicals that are appropriate and can have the capability to neutralize and stick

all together. If the charge in the chemical did not neutralize and the particles did not

stick together, the chemical is not enough, and more chemical coagulant may need to

add (Mazille F. et al., 2018).

▪ Flocculation
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 14

Mixing/ stirring stage after the particles neutralize. The particles will get bigger

until it performs sedimentation and filtered (Mazille F. et al., 2018).

3. Slow Sand Filtration System

One of the oldest methods of water treatment is slow sand filtration (SSF) also known as

biological sand filtration (BSF). The method is adapted from nature’s own way of treating

water by filtration and has been used artificially by humans since the beginning of the nineteenth

century when John Gibbs designed and built a slow sand filter for his bleachery in Paisley,

Scotland and sold the cleaned water to the public (Huisman & Wood, 1974). Some two centuries

later the slow sand filter has in some respects a bad rumor that the method is old-fashioned

(Huisman & Wood, 1974) but it is a myth that it is an ineffective water treatment method. Under

suitable circumstances the method is very cheap and a very (if not the most) effective water

treatment method. It has advantages to other methods because it’s easy to maintain and are

driven without electricity, it also often makes a better use of the

4. Testing of Water

The other researchers made sure if their research is effective and efficient for the people’s

sake and to the environments safety also but what would be the way to know if their research is

safe to drink and for sanitation purposes? It is through testing the water from the available

laboratories for potable water. Laboratories have its limit, they have limited testing for water.

Not all the required and standard testing of water is available. That is when the researcher makes

their own testing of water for some of the testing that the researchers can provide the apparatus/

materials and it is possible for the researchers to do.

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 15

Conceptual Framework

The researcher’s source of water is from the water resources of the earth (rivers, lakes, or

water streams), which will be called as raw water because it is still contaminated and unsafe to

use for drinking water and sanitation purposes. The raw water will be put into a coagulation –

flocculation process. Coagulation makes the unnecessary particles (turbid/bacteria) neutralize

due to the coagulant that will be place in the container that coagulation – flocculation process

will be performed. The Moringa Oleiferas’ seed (natural coagulant) contains important quantities

of protein that has a positive charge, when the seeds that’re crushed are added to untreated water,

the protein that produces positive charge acts like a magnet to the negatively charge such as clay,

bacteria, or toxic particles that’s available in untreated water/ raw water and that reacts to the
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 16

particles to stick together. The surroundings of the particles that stacked together should be clear

but if not, more coagulant will need to be added into the water. After neutralizing, the mixing or

stirring stage will take forward and it will help the particle to enlarge by its size. The process

called flocculation. The sedimentation is the next scenario that the particles will settle at the

bottom of the container and the upper part of the water must be clear and purified while the

bottom is where the particles are located. (Eilert, 1978) cited by (Aho, I.M. et al., 2012). The

slow sand filtration system will now take the place and purify it once more to remove the excess

turbid and bacteria that’s left from the previous purification method. The slow sand filtration has

a pump attached to the system to help the filtration process have a faster flow rate. After the

water went through so many processes, the called ‘treated water’ will then be put into a

laboratory test for a potable water to know if the water would be safe for drinking water and

sanitation purposes. According to the Government of Western Australia Department of Health

(2016), there are two types of testing of water which includes microbiological tests and chemical

quality tests. For chemical quality test, the available standard testing of water is turbidity, color,

odor, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, alkanity/acidity, iron, chloride, ph, calcium,

manganese, magnesium, and total hardness. The available laboratories for the testing of water are

Bacolod City Water District and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). For the

microbiology tests, the available standard testing of water is heterotrophic plate, total coliform,

and thermotolerant coliform e. coli. The available laboratory for the testing of water is

Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 17

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The research has its own limitations. One of the limitations of the researcher is the source

of water because there is no assurance that having a direct of source of water in every

community that this research will be applied is applicable because the source of water that the

researcher will use is the earth’s water resources that includes rivers, lakes, or water streams.

Second, a super muddy water will need to have massive amount of moringa oleifera especially

when the amount of water that will be treated is also huge but moringa oleifera is only limited

stock only because the growth of the moringa oleifera seeds depend on the weather. If the

humans will help each other to plant and grow moringa oleifera, it will help to have many

supplies of moringa oleifera seeds. Also, treating a super muddy water using slow sand filtration

is applicable but the filtration system will be needed to clean because one of the disadvantages of

the filtration system is it develops algae fast especially in the inlet part of the container and the

dirt that stayed in the filtration system. It needs to be clean always because it can cause to

clogged and delay the flow rate of the treated water and it might not treat the water due to the too

much bacteria and turbid that the filtration cannot handle anymore. That is why having too much

turbid in the water (like muddy clay texture) is the limitation of the study. Third, the computation

is limited because getting the data to know if the water is potable and treated is through the

laboratories that testing of potable water is available. There is no exact computation of the exact

bacteria and turbidity removed from the water. Every treatment shall be tested to monitor if the

methods of the researcher is qualified or not for drinking water and sanitation purposes. Fourth,

the testing is according to what is required to be tested in the research. In the research, the focus
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 18

is the loss of turbidity, if the water loses bacteria that is required to be safe for sanitation or other

purposes and for potable water.

Definition of Terms

1. Flocculation - a stirring stage of the process and it is helping the particles to be in a larger

size that size and weight is enough to perform the sedimentation and the water can be

filtered afterwards.

2. Coagulation - a process that is performed to equalize charge

3. Slow sand filtration - a simple technology used for removal of pathogen and particle in

purification of potable water (Langenbach et al., 2009) cited by Bagundol (2013). Slow

sand filtration is the simplest method and one of the great methods for the treatment of

water (Huisman & Wood, 1974) cited by Juni (2015). Physically, chemically, and

biologically speaking slow sand filtration can be used to perform the treatment of

removing bacteria and suspended particles in raw water. (Bauer et al., 2011; Ijadunola et

al., 2011; Langenbach et al., 2009; Hipshear, 2011) cited by Bagundol (2013).

4. Moringa oleifera - the seed kernels of Moringa oleifera contain significant quantities of a

series of low molecular weight, water-soluble proteins which, in solution, carry an overall

positive charge. The proteins are considered to act similarly to synthetic, positively

charged polymer coagulants. When added to raw water the proteins bind to the

predominantly negatively charged particulates that make raw waters turbid (silt, clay,

bacteria etc.). Under proper agitation these bound particulates then grow in size to form

the flocs, which may be left to settle by gravity or be removed by filtration (Maruti

Prasad and Srinivasa Rao, 2013) cited by Jayalakshmi (2017).

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 19

5. Aluminum sulphate - a chemical compound that is referred to as sulfuric acid, aluminum

salt, or cake alum. It has a wide variety of applications, including waste treatment, water

purification, and paper manufacturing. the most widely used aluminum coagulant. It is

available in several solid forms such as block, kibbled or ground and is also available as a

solution. Twort's Water Supply (Seventh Edition) (2017)

6. Coagulant - a compound or agent which is added to a vessel to help thicken something.

Adding a coagulant such as aluminum sulfate to water permits particles to come together

and results in the formation of a flocculent mass. ("Coagulant definition and meaning |

Collins English Dictionary", n.d.)

7. Sedimentation - a treatment process in which suspended particles, like flocs, sand and

clay are re-moved from the water. Sedimentation can take place naturally in reservoirs or

in compact settling installations. Sedimentation is frequently used in surface water

treatment to avoid rapid clogging of sand filters after coagulation and floc formation. The

process of removing colloidal matter suspended in water by the process of settling is

known as sedimentation. ("Coagulant definition and meaning | Collins English

Dictionary", n.d.)
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 20

Review of Related Literature

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 21
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 22
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 23
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 24

Research Methodology

Research Design

The researcher chose experimental quantitative research design to help the society

especially Subic that it might be the solution for the problem that they encounter often. The

applicable plan for this research is to determine or evaluate the efficiency of the combined

methods for water treatment or purification for the purpose of drinking water. The research of the

researcher will be conducting experiments with the combination of flocculation – coagulation

process and it will be evaluated whether the treated water is potable or not. The research is

experimental because the research may need to gather data to determine the objectives and one

of them is to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of the two method for the treatment of

the water. It is to conduct a design to help the people who would need the concept of the research

for their community.

WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 25

Materials

Researcher’s Prototype Design

1. Faucet

The purpose of the faucet is to let out the treated water from the last container, where the treated

water is located after the treatment process from the combination method of flocculation –

coagulation and slow sand filtration.

2. Glass container
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 26

The container is for the flocculation – coagulation process. The purpose of the glass is to know

and to see if the particles neutralizes and that is the signal of mixing it all together for the process

of flocculation and it is also to determine whether the particles settled at the bottom of the

container so that the purified water can transfer already to the another container for slow sand

filtration. The glass container is also for aesthetic purposes.

3. Hose connector

The purpose of the hose connector to this study is to attach the hose to the containers end to end

so that water can flow directly to one container to another.

4. Hose

The purpose of the hose is it’s the connection of containers for the flow of water to pass or travel

one container to another.

5. Moringa Oleifera

One of the most common natural plant alternatives that the leaves are not difficult to find

and can easily grow (Ndabigengesere, A., et al 1995) cited by (Ali E.N. et al., 2009). It is used as

a coagulant in the process of flocculation – coagulation method. Moringa oleifera is one of the

widest spread plant species that grows quickly at low altitudes in the whole tropical belt,

including arid zones. It can grow on medium soils having relatively low humidity

(Ndabigengesere, A., et al 1995) cited by Ali (2009). Moringa oleifera seeds are an organic

natural polymer.
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 27

6. Pump

The purpose of the pump is to make the flow of the slow sand filtration be faster. Pump is

located at the top of the container where slow sand filtration system is also located.

7. Water valve

The purpose of the water valve is to have a switch to open to discharge and to close so that the

water will not flow directly to another container without the purification process in the first

container which is the flocculation – coagulation process.

Population

The researcher conducted combination of two method of treatment of water which is the

flocculation – coagulation and slow sand filtration because one of the problems/ dilemmas that
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 28

the world is encountering todays generation is having insufficient supply of water and lacking

potable water. Mostly people drink from tap water and now a day’s water from running water

has become alarming that it becomes more contaminated that causes children to be sick and even

adults. Most countries in the world are affected but most especially the researcher have seen and

have become alarmed from what is happening in the Philippines especially to Subic, Zambales.

According to Subic water article (n.d.), Olongapo City faced an impending water crisis in the

mid-1990s. Water facilities were mostly dilapidated, raw water sources were so scarce, and the

former water district which operated the utility lacked the badly-needed capital to rehabilitate the

water system. As a result, residents of the 17 barangays comprising the city suffered from

inadequate and intermittent supply, low water pressure, turbid water, and poor customer services.

Research Instruments/ Data Collection

The model has five different containers (refer to Figure 1). The first container contains

the source of water of the researcher which is the raw water from some of the earth’s water

resources includes lakes, rivers, and water streams. There would be a hose that is connected to

the second container and there would be a water valve that controls water from flowing and stops

from flowing. The water valve is attached to the first container and the hose is attached to the

other end of water valve and the hose is attached to the second container. Every end of the

attachments has hose connector to avoid leakage and to have its purpose of water flowing freely

to one container to another. The second container is a combination of conical and rectangular

shape, conical shape is located at the bottom of the container while rectangular shape is located

at the top of the container. There are two outlets from the second container which also has a

water valve. The first one is located at the right of the container that it elevates enough for the
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 29

purified water to transfer to the third container without transferring too much turbidity. Another

water valve is located at the bottom of the conical shape, the purpose of this outlet is for the

removal of the sludge after transferring the purified water to the third container. The raw water/

untreated water from rivers, water streams, or lakes from the first container will flow directly to

the second container where coagulation – flocculation process occur. When the container is full,

the 10 grams crushed moringa oleifera seeds per 100 ml water will be place in the container with

untreated water and the coagulation process will do its work to stack the particles all together and

mixing it all together to make the particles go bigger, it is called flocculation, and sedimentation

will start to do its task to settle. After it all settled and the method of flocculation – coagulation is

finished, the water valve is once again ready to be switch to open. The water valve at the side of

the container is the first one to be switched to open so that the purified water can be transferred

to the third container where the slow sand filtration process occurs. After transferring the

purified water, the water valve from the bottom outlet will then be switched to open to transfer

all the sludge to another container, where it contains sludge from every process that’s being

done,

The third container is a rectangular container that has a hose attached from the second

container, where the purified water will flow. The flow of the water should be monitored to help

the filtration system absorb and do its work to filtrate the excess particles and the remaining

bacteria. After every discharge of water, the water valve will be switch to close and the pump

will then be switched to open to put pressure to the filtration system and help it to filtrate faster.

At the bottom of the container, a water valve is once again attached and that would remain open,

starting from the discharge of water to the third container so that the flow of the filtration is
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 30

continuous. The water that will flow to the outlet of the third container will be the treated water.

The container should not be glass because the pump and the glass might not have the ability to

carry the pressure and can have a result to a broken container. Another container is included, and

it is located at the bottom of the third container which the outlet of the treated water will fall.

The Last container is also a rectangular container and this container is the storage of the

treated water that came from the two method to purify and treat unclean and contaminated water.

The water from third container will flow from the last container slowly but because of the pump

that is attached at the top of the second container, the whole slow sand filtration system is faster

than the usual. The water that is being stored in this container, will be the final product that will

be tested if the combination of flocculation – coagulation and slow sand filtration is effective.

Even if this research is from the references of other researches, the water must be tested

and make sure the water is safe. There is no guarantee that the research is safe unless it’s been

tested and there’s an evidence that it is safe because there is no computation to know if the

treated water loses massive number of bacteria and turbidity.

Methods for data recordings and analysis

If the prototype is already constructed and ready to use. These are the steps that people

can follow to know the procedure that the researchers study conducted.

1. Gathering or preparing the materials/ products

1.1.Make sure to close all the water valves on all containers to let the flow of water stop

due to the process of flocculation – coagulation, particles need to settle first before

opening the water valves to transfer the purified water to another container
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 31

1.2.Collecting moringa oleifera seeds

1.3.If the seeds are dried, crushed it until it become a powder.

1.4.Make sure that the first container that stores the raw water is full tank (this is a must)

so that the filtration system is always ready when it comes the time that people will

need it.

2. Opening the water valve of the first container so that the raw water will flow to the

second container where the flocculation – coagulation process occurs.

3. Putting 10 grams of moringa oleifera per 100 ml water to the second container, wait until

the particles neutralizes that is the time when

4. Stirring stage will take the place. After the process of coagulation, stirring/ mixing it

manually through the hands so that the particles have become larger in its size and

because the particles have increase in its size, the weight will increase also and due to

that the particles will move downward, and it will settle on the bottom of the container.

5. After performing sedimentation, the water valve from the second container can finally be

turn to open. There are two water valves in third container. One for transferring the

purified water to the next container, where the slow san filtration process occurs and

another one for putting away or letting the sludge be out from the container. There should

be another container for the storage of sludge.

6. After the water has transferred from the second container, slow sand filtration will now

do its work to purify once again the water and let the excess turbid and bacteria be

removed. Having a pump at the top of the container will help the filtration process be

smooth of its flow and be faster than the usual flow of water of slow sand filtration. The
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 32

water valve from this container must be open first so that the drop or the flow of the

discharge will continuously be flowing to another container, where it stores treated water

from the two methods that the raw water encountered.

7. After waiting for the last container to have the final product which is the treated water,

Faucet can be open and get a sample water to get it ready to be tested.

8. Testing of water is a must when it comes to the filtration system research because it

might take risks for whoever will try to drink the water without having it tested. Go to the

designated laboratories where testing of water is available.

9. This is where the researcher would know if the process is effective or not by comparing it

to the other researchers’ research. Also, this is where the researcher would know if the

treated water would fail or pass to be a potable water through the testing of water.

References:

• Drinking contaminated water can lead to waterborne diseases. (2014). Retrieved from

https://www.vestergaard.com/global-challenges/waterborne-diseases

• Drinking water: Alum in water treatment. Retrieved from

https://www.hunterwater.com.au/Resources/Documents/Fact-Sheets/Water-

Quality/ALUM-IN-DRINKING-WATER_MAR2011.pdf

• Protect the Environment in Our Community. (2002). Retrieved from

https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/centralized_brochure.pdf

• Roser, M., & Ortiz-Ospina, E. (2019). World Population Growth. Retrieved from

https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth
WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NATURAL COAGULANT 33

• Thairu, L. (2017). The Importance of Water: #WaterIsLife - Africa.com. Retrieved from

https://www.africa.com/importance-water-waterislife/

• Seibel, B. (2014). Understanding Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Why it should be

Measured. Retrieved from

http://blog.teledynetekmar.com/blog/bid/392322/Understanding-Total-Organic-Carbon-

TOC-and-Why-it-should-be-Measured

• Earth Science and Applications from Space. (2007). Retrieved from

https://www.nap.edu/read/11820/chapter/13

• Madaan, S. (2019). Process of Water Cycle. Retrieved from

https://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/process-of-water-cycle.html

• Coagulation and Flocculation Process Fundamentals. Retrieved from

https://www.mrwa.com/WaterWorksMnl/Chapter%2012%20Coagulation.pdf

• Félicien, M. (2018). Coagulation-Flocculation | SSWM - Find tools for sustainable

sanitation and water management. Retrieved from https://sswm.info/sswm-university-

course/module-6-disaster-situations-planning-and-preparedness/further-resources-

0/coagulation-flocculation

• Collins English Dictionary | Definitions, Translations and Pronunciations. Retrieved from

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english