Remoción de la turbiedad y color mediante el uso de Tuna (Opuntia ficus indica) en el agua cruda del subsistema de la comunidad de Lunduma, cantón Santa Isabel

Abstract

This project is intended to try fresh mucilage of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) as a clearing agent of fresh water belonging to the purifying sub-system of the Lunduma Community, which belongs to the Santa Isabel canton in the province of Azuay. Sixteen sampling were performed, for which fresh water from the plant entrance was taken; afterwards, jar tests were applied to measuring the initial as well as the final conditions of the water, the involving parameters and responsible for the water color, such as turbidity, color, pH, iron, total of disolved solids, sedimentable and suspended solids. After the jar tests, the results were compared with the requirements by NTE INEN 1108 and TULSMA, book VI, appendix 1 were reached. Besides that, the optimal amount or doses to diminish turbidity were determined. The results obtained from the analysis of the different parameters show that prickly pear has the capability of coagulation – flocculation, except the case of the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) since their values always showed a tendency to increase referring to the initial condition.