Estudio comparativo de la eficacia de la semilla de Chontaduro (Bactris gasipaes) y Tagua (Phytelephas aequatorialis) en la remoción de turbidez y sólidos en tratamientos de agua potable.

Abstract

In drinking water treatment plants, the usage of conventional coagulants causes environmental problems and effects on human health, such as the production of large volumes of sludge and the accumulation of metals. If sludge is not properly managed, it can affect human health and generate neurological diseases. Therefore, the objective of the Curricular Integration Work was to compare the effectiveness of Chontaduro (Bactris gasipaes) and Tagua (Phytelephas aequatorialis) seeds, through analysis of water samples from the Payamino River, as an alternative in the removal of turbidity and solids in the treatment of drinking water. The methodology had a qualitative and quantitative approach, using a factorial design A x B. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to reject or accept the null hypothesis. A Fisher's LSD test was also performed to identify if there are significant differences between the means of the treatments and which of the two coagulants is more effective. This process was carried out using the Minitab program. Through this methodology it was determined that at a turbidity level of 46.5 NTU in the samples, the coagulant solution of Chontaduro (Bactris gasipaes) and Tagua (Phytelephas aequatorialis), reduce the level at a dose of 5 milliliters, being the coagulant of Tagua (Phytelephas aequatorialis) the most effective. However, the total dissolved solids did not show a removal and presented an increase, because they present a high load of particles that supersaturated the samples. With this context, it is concluded that using statistical analysis Tagua coagulant (Phytelephas aequatorialis) is more effective for turbidity removal and the two coagulants are ineffective for the total elimination of dissolved solids as their dosage increases.