Plantago ovata Medicinal Plant and Water Treatment

Plantago ovata is a medicinal plant of plantain, Plantaginaceae, family used to treat intestinal disorders and stomach diseases. P. ovata grain has relieving effects and healing inflammation and irritation of the mucous layer of stomach and duodenal ulcer. Beside the medicinal benefits, this plant is useful for water turbidity removal. Coagulation and flocculation are important processes in water treatment. Artificial coagulants are not useful from economic and health point of view. The objective of this study is to compare performance of chloroferric coagulant (alone) and with P. ovata coagulant aid in water turbidity removal. The experiments were done in turbidity of 50 NTU. In all experiments the amount of chloroferric was 10 ppm and optimum dose of P. ovata was 0.1 ppm at optimum pH of 7. P. ovata at 50 NTU turbidity, reduced turbidity up to 94.5% whereas chloroferric alone could reduce 85.16% of turbidity. Having been contained mucilage, protein and starch, P. ovata would reduce consumption of coagulants and be effective in water turbidity removal as a coagulant aid.