Optimization of Dual Coagulation Parameters for Turbidity Removal of Philippines’ Pasig River Water Using Box-Behnken Design Model

School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering and Sciences, Mapúa University, Intramuros, Manila 1002 Philippines

^* Corresponding author: kgnquiton@mapua.edu.ph
^** Co-corresponding author: mcalmendrala@mapua.edu.ph

Abstract

The water problem has become a significant challenge as populations grow and water sources have become increasingly stressed. Access to safe and clean water is essential for human health, agriculture, and industrial development. The current work aims to model and optimize the dual coagulation parameters for the removal of turbidity from Pasig River water via aluminium chlorohydrate and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride coagulants using the Box-Behnken Design (BBD) as a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) statistical tool. The turbidity removal efficiency predicted by the RSM-BBD model was 95.56% under the optimal operating conditions of pH 6, coagulant ratio 0f 0.4555 and 10 min of mixing time. The actual turbidity removal efficiency was very close to the predicted value indicating that RSM-BBD can efficiently be applied to optimize the Pasig River water turbidity removal via dual coagulation. The results also indicate that pH and coagulant ratio are significant parameters greatly affecting turbidity removal from Pasig River water. Overall, the study provides insights into the parameters affecting turbidity removal in water samples.