Assessment of Water Purification Potential of a Biofilter Formulated with Luffa Sponge (Luffa Cylindrica)
Kabiru Abdullahi and Musa Abubakar
Keywords: Drinking Water, Biofilters, Luffa Sponge, Filtration.
Abstract
The most important natural resource on earth is water. All forms of life (plants, animals, and microorganisms) cannot survive without water. If there was no water there would be no life on earth. This study assessed the efficacy of the Luffa Sponge (Luffa cylindrica) biofilter on its ability to decontaminate water with an emphasis on microbial contaminants for domestic purposes. This study shows that Coliform was reduced by 54%, Turbidity by 43%, TSS by 69.5%, pH was improved by 25.88%, Temperature by 7%, DO by 5.88%, and BOD by 15%, while change was not observed in EC with 0%. This result was compared with the Nigerian Water Quality Standard (NIS 554-2015) and found that Luffa cylindrica when compacted well, can be used to treat dam and pond water where there is no industrial waste discharge to fit for drinking in remote villages