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GREEN TREATMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND TEXTILE WASTEWATER USING LOCAL NATURAL COAGULANTS IN NIGERIA

Abstract
Nigeria’s rapid industrialization, particularly in the pharmaceutical and textile sectors, has led to significant wastewater generation containing dyes, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, suspended solids, and organic pollutants. These effluents, often discharged with minimal treatment, contaminate surface and groundwater, posing risks to aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, public health, and agricultural productivity. Conventional chemical coagulants like alum and ferric chloride, while effective, are costly, generate large volumes of toxic sludge, and can alter water pH, necessitating greener alternatives. Natural coagulants derived from local plants such as Moringa oleifera seeds, banana peels, chitosan from crustacean shells, and others offer sustainable, biodegradable, low-cost options abundant in Nigeria. These plant-based materials achieve high removal efficiencies for turbidity, color, COD, and specific contaminants through mechanisms like charge neutralization and adsorption. Studies demonstrate their efficacy in treating textile dye wastewater and pharmaceutical effluents, with Moringa oleifera commonly reducing turbidity by over 90% and showing promise for dye decolorization and pharmaceutical removal. Despite growing research, challenges remain in optimization, scalability, and integration into existing treatment systems in Nigeria. This thesis explores the green treatment of pharmaceutical and textile wastewater using local natural coagulants, through characterization, performance evaluation, optimization, and comparative analysis, to develop eco-friendly, cost-effective strategies for sustainable wastewater management and environmental protection in Nigeria.

Chapter One

Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Nigeria’s industrial growth, particularly in the pharmaceutical and textile sectors, has significantly contributed to economic development while concurrently exacerbating environmental pollution through the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater. Textile industries, predominantly located in states such as Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos, generate effluents containing synthetic dyes, high chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids, and persistent organic pollutants. These effluents often exhibit intense coloration, impairing light penetration in receiving waters and adversely affecting aquatic ecosystems (Freitas et al., 2015). Pharmaceutical manufacturing, concentrated in regions like Lagos and Ogun States, produces wastewater laden with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), antibiotics, hormones, and organic solvents. These contaminants pose risks such as antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, and toxicity to non-target organisms (various reviews on pharmaceutical wastewater in developing countries).

Conventional wastewater treatment methods predominantly rely on chemical coagulation-flocculation, utilizing inorganic coagulants such as aluminum sulfate (alum) and ferric chloride. While these agents effectively reduce turbidity, color, and certain organic compounds, they generate voluminous sludge, necessitate pH adjustment, and introduce secondary pollution risks (Saleem & Bachmann, 2019). These limitations have spurred interest in greener, more sustainable alternatives, particularly natural coagulants derived from locally abundant plants and waste materials in Nigeria.

Plant-based natural coagulants, including Moringa oleifera seeds, have been extensively researched for their cationic proteins, which facilitate charge neutralization and bridging in coagulation processes (Beluci et al., 2019). Moringa oleifera seed powder has demonstrated turbidity reductions of up to 99%, alongside significant COD and color removal in various wastewaters, including textile effluents (Madjene et al., 2023). Other locally available materials, such as banana peels (rich in pectin and cellulose for adsorption), papaya seeds, and chitosan (derived from shrimp and crab shells, common in Nigeria’s coastal regions), show promise for dye decolorization and pharmaceutical contaminant reduction through adsorption and flocculation mechanisms (Daverey et al., 2019; Nonfodji et al., studies on hospital wastewater).

In textile wastewater treatment, natural coagulants achieve dye removal efficiencies comparable to or surpassing chemical methods, with color removal rates reaching 90–95% under optimized conditions (Dao et al., 2021). For pharmaceutical wastewater, natural coagulants aid in reducing turbidity, organic load, and certain APIs, offering a greener treatment solution in resource-limited settings (reviews on natural coagulants for pharmaceutical removal, 2022). These approaches align with sustainable development goals by leveraging indigenous, renewable resources, minimizing chemical dependency, and reducing sludge toxicity.

This study investigates the application of locally sourced natural coagulants for the treatment of pharmaceutical and textile wastewater in Nigeria, focusing on efficacy, optimization, and practical implementation potential.

1.2 Statement of the Problem
The rapid expansion of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and textile industries has intensified wastewater pollution, with effluents containing elevated levels of dyes, COD, pharmaceuticals, and suspended solids being discharged into rivers and groundwater, frequently exceeding regulatory limits set by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). This pollution results in ecological degradation, including diminished dissolved oxygen levels, toxicity to aquatic life, bioaccumulation of contaminants, and public health risks such as waterborne diseases and antibiotic resistance (Oribhabor & Ogbeibu-like impacts in industrial pollution contexts).

Conventional chemical coagulants remain the dominant treatment method but are costly, produce hazardous sludge requiring specialized disposal, and often fail to adequately address emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals. In Nigeria’s resource-constrained context, reliance on imported chemicals exacerbates costs and logistical challenges. Natural coagulants present a viable alternative, yet their application for combined pharmaceutical-textile wastewaters remains underexplored, with limited research on optimization for local conditions, dosage standardization, and scalability. Existing gaps include comparative studies, long-term performance evaluations, and integration strategies for existing treatment plants, hindering widespread adoption despite the availability of local sources such as Moringa oleifera and agricultural byproducts.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective is to investigate the green treatment of pharmaceutical and textile wastewater using local natural coagulants in Nigeria.

Specific objectives include:

1. To characterize the physicochemical properties of selected pharmaceutical and textile wastewater samples from Nigerian industries.
2. To extract and prepare natural coagulants from local sources such as Moringa oleifera seeds, banana peels, and chitosan.
3. To evaluate the coagulation efficiency of these natural coagulants in removing turbidity, color, COD, TSS, and selected contaminants through jar tests.
4. To optimize key parameters (dosage, pH, mixing time, settling time) for maximum removal efficiency using response surface methodology or similar approaches.
5. To compare the performance of natural coagulants with conventional chemical coagulants and assess sludge characteristics for environmental safety.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What are the key pollutant levels (turbidity, color, COD, TSS, etc.) in pharmaceutical and textile wastewater samples from Nigeria?
2. Which local natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera, banana peels, chitosan) demonstrate the highest removal efficiencies for target parameters?
3. How do operational parameters (dosage, pH, etc.) influence the coagulation performance of these natural materials?
4. Do natural coagulants outperform or match conventional chemical coagulants in terms of removal efficiency, cost, and sludge production?
5. What are the implications for sludge management and overall sustainability when using natural coagulants in Nigerian contexts?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study contributes to environmental engineering by promoting sustainable wastewater treatment alternatives that reduce reliance on imported chemicals, minimize toxic sludge generation, and utilize indigenous resources abundant in Nigeria. It provides evidence-based data on natural coagulants’ efficacy for emerging contaminants in pharmaceutical and textile effluents, potentially improving water quality, protecting ecosystems, and reducing public health risks. The findings could inform policy (e.g., NESREA guidelines), support small-to-medium industries in adopting low-cost technologies, and align with sustainable development goals for clean water and responsible consumption/production. Practically, it empowers local communities and industries with affordable, eco-friendly solutions, fostering green industrial practices in Nigeria.

1.6 Scope and Limitations

The study focuses on wastewater from selected pharmaceutical and textile industries in Nigeria (e.g., Lagos, Kano regions), using natural coagulants like Moringa oleifera seeds, banana peels, and chitosan in lab-scale jar tests. It covers parameter optimization and comparative analysis but is limited to bench-scale experiments; field-scale validation, long-term stability, and full-scale plant integration are beyond scope. Variability in wastewater composition, potential seasonal effects on plant materials, and detailed toxicological assessments of treated effluents/sludge are limitations. Future work should address pilot-scale trials and regulatory compliance.

1.7 Definition of Terms

• Coagulation-Flocculation: Process of destabilizing colloids and aggregating particles for removal via settling.
• Natural Coagulants: Plant- or bio-derived materials (e.g., Moringa oleifera proteins, banana peel pectin) used for wastewater clarification.
• Turbidity: Measure of water cloudiness due to suspended particles (NTU).
• COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand, indicator of organic pollution.
• TSS: Total Suspended Solids, particulate matter in wastewater.
• NESREA: National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Nigeria’s environmental regulator.

References

• Daverey, A. et al. (2019). Utilization of extracts of Musa paradisiaca (banana) peels and Dolichos lablab (Indian bean) seeds as low-cost natural coagulants for turbidity removal from water. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
• Madjene, F. et al. (2023). Studies on Moringa oleifera for turbidity and dye removal in wastewater.
• Prabhakaran, G. et al. (2020). Natural coagulants for textile wastewater treatment.
• Saleem, M. & Bachmann, R.T. (2019). Natural coagulants as alternatives to chemical coagulants.
• Taiwo, A.S. et al. (2020). Efficacy of a Natural Coagulant Protein from Moringa oleifera (Lam) Seeds in Treatment of Opa Reservoir Water, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Heliyon, 6, e03335.
• Verma, A.K. et al. (2012). A review on chemical coagulation/flocculation technologies for the removal of colour from textile wastewaters. Journal of Environmental Management, 93(1), 154-168.