The treatment of water intended for consumption, by chemical products, poses a real problem of public health nowadays. Thus, the present study aims to determine a treatment method based on a coagulant and a non-toxic natural flocculant. To do so, surface water samples were treated with different doses of Moringa oleifera seed extract and cactus sap. The results showed that 0.9 g/l of Moringa oleifera seed solution resulted in 99% turbidity abatement after 12 h of settling. In addition, the simultaneous use of Moringa seeds (0.9 g/l) and 0.1 ml of a chemical flocculant reduced the settling time from 12 h to 15 min. Substitution of the chemical flocculant by cactus extract (at 0.6 ml), also allowed to obtain for the same concentration of 0.9g/l Moringa seeds, a turbidity in compliance with the WHO standard (≤ 05 NTU) after 15 min of decantation. This last treatment qualified as "bio treatment", has shown its effectiveness and thus constitutes a sustainable alternative, especially for rural populations without access to drinking water.

Drinking water, Turbidity, coagulant/flocculant, Moringa oleifera