An Assessment of the Coagulation, Antibacterial, and Cytotoxic Qualities of Extracts from Nymphaea nouchali Stem and Artocarpus altilis Peel for the Treatment of Wastewater
Diviya Varshini Dushanthan
Department of Life Sciences, Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology, No. 05, Galle Road, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka.
Zerene Cassendra Kristine Pereira
Department of Life Sciences, Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology, No. 05, Galle Road, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka.
Kande Michelle Kesara De Silva
Department of Life Sciences, Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology, No. 05, Galle Road, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka.
A. V. L. K. Udalamaththa *
Department of Life Sciences, Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology, No. 05, Galle Road, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Untreated sewage and industrial waste discharge contaminates water sources, causing major risks to ecosystems and human health. This study aimed to compare the coagulation, antibacterial, and cytotoxic properties of Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fosh. (Breadfruit) peel, and Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f. (Blue Water Lily) stem, as a natural and eco-friendly wastewater treatment agent. Aqueous plant extracts (PEs) were prepared, and their antibacterial effects were evaluated via disk diffusion, coagulation efficiency via turbidity using spectrophotometry, and cytotoxicity by brine shrimp assay. Turbidity removal was most significantly different at 10-1 g/mL (21.63%), 10-2 g/mL (11.19%), and 10-3 g/mL (9.86%) for A. altilis, N. nouchali, and the mixed extracts, respectively (p<0.05). However, the positive control showed the most significant turbidity reduction (p<0.05). The PEs did not exhibit antibacterial properties and had no significant cytotoxic effects (p>0.05) compared to the positive control. Further research should involve investigating different extraction procedures to yield more potent compounds.
Keywords: Sustainable water treatment, coagulation, natural Coagulants