BALAS: The Effectiveness of Phaseolus vulgaris seeds in

f-sand (Functionalized Sand for Water Coagulation)

Eul Vinz M. David

Christian Antonio C. Magno
Glenard Vonn M. Torres
Proponents

Raquel D. Yumul

Research Adviser

1
 Abstract

The water crisis is a global epidemic. Over half of the world’s hospital beds

are filled with people suffering from a water-related disease. Though there is a

multitude of ways to clean and purify water, most of these methods are not readily

available, making it hard for poverty-ridden countries to benefit. This paper aims to

provide a cheap alternative to water coagulation, an important step for water

purification. The researchers utilized the Phaseolus vulgaris seed with sand to make f-

sand, functionalized sand for water coagulation. This f-sand contains a charge

opposite to those of the suspended particles in turbid water, neutralizing the negative

charges on dispersed on-settleable solids. This causes small suspended particles to

stick together, easing the removal of turbidity. Moringa oleifera infused f-sand will be

used as a comparison to provide a basis on the effectiveness of the project. Tests were

conducted for 50 grams of f-sand per 400 milliliters of water. Result comparisons

have shown that the average turbidity of the samples, compared to the base sample,

have significantly less turbidity. Base NTU :45, Phaseolus vulgaris-infused f-sand

(4.33 NTU), Moringa oleifera (3 NTU). The results depict that the Phaseolus

vulgaris infused f-sand is indeed capable of coagulation, similar to the capabilities of

Moringa oleifera infused f-sand. The researchers’ f-sand has proven to be a reliable

tool for water coagulation, one step closer to water purification.

2
 Introduction

Are you well-aware of the increasing and alarming cases of water pollution

nowadays? Do you think we will still have clean, safe and potable water in 10 to 20

years? What can we do to aid this catastrophic problem today? Water connects every

aspect of life, access to safe water and sanitation can quickly turn problem into

potential, unlocking education, work opportunities, and improved health for women,

children and families across the world (World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint

Monitoring Programme, 2017). Water helps regulate body temperatures, aids in

digestion, helps fight of disease, boosts energy and so much more. Did you know that

your body weight is approximately 60 percent water? Your body uses water in all its

cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily

functions (Lasky, 2015). During dehydration, the body is unable to produce sweat,

causing the person to overheat and possibly faint. After a while, the body starts having

trouble maintaining blood pressure, to survive, the body slows down blood flow to

non-vital organs such as your kidneys and gut, causing damage.

The water crisis is a health crisis. Over half of the world’s hospital beds

are filled with people suffering from a water-related disease. In developing countries,

about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. 1 out of

every 5 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to water-related diseases. 844

million people lack even basic drinking water services, including 159 million who are

dependent on surface water. Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water

source, contaminated with feces. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported

that 2.2 million deaths were caused by waterborne diseases in 2016 (Efstratiou, 2017).

3
 The Philippines is a country where diarrhea remains a leading killer of

children, where water-borne diseases are more common than sanitary toilets, and

where farmers cannot water their own crops. Experts prescribed one possible solution

to these problems: access to potable water for all 80 million residents of the country.

If the Philippine government could only supply its population with sufficient and

clean water, it could trigger a chain reaction of major successes in improving the

country’s health and well-being (Gorecho, 1998).

Is there a way to make clean water more accessible to developing

countries? To contribute to the battle against global water crisis all the while being

cheap and affordable to any who may want access? This method of making f-sand

using Phaseolus vulgaris seeds will make clean drinking water more accessible all

around the world. Conventional methods of these cost a lot of money and are hard to

obtain by developing countries. Like the previously mentioned Aluminum Sulfate or

“Alum” is one example. This is imported at high cost, and is also a known neurotoxin;

studies have shown that chronic intake may lead to Alzheimer’s disease (Walton,

2014).

This study aims to provide an alternative for water coagulation in the form

of Phaseolus vulgaris-infused f-Sand that plans to bind the suspended and dissolved

particles in a turbid water and reduce its turbidity to make it suitable for drinking. It

targets to compare the effectiveness of Phaseolus vulgaris seeds in f-sand with the

standard Moringa Oleifera seeds when it comes to water coagulation. It also intends to

reduce the deaths of millions caused by water-related diseases and to decrease water-

related illnesses, in general and it will contribute into fighting the global water crisis

by providing a water coagulation method which is cheaper and more readily available

to the public. This also wishes to prompt further research into other alternatives and

4
 ways on how to improve a waste water’s quality in terms of turbidity through

coagulation.

Methodology

Research Locale
The researchers conducted the experiment, in particular the seed crushing

and sieve testing at CRL Environmental Corporation including the water quality test.

The researchers followed the steps of The Scientific Method in Figure 1 in the

conduction of the experiment.

Observations

Ask New Questions Questions

Develop

Interventions The Scientific Search Literature

Method
Share Results Hypothesis

Conclusions Experiment

Collect Data

Figure 1. The Scientific Method

5
A. Procurement of Materials

i. Collection and Identification of Seeds

Seeds used for the study are that of the Phaseolus vulgaris and Moringa

oleifera which were collected from the local market at an affordable price in nearby

locations. The aforementioned seeds were authenticated at the Bureau of Plant

Industry (BPI) in City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Figure 2. Collection of seeds

ii. Collection of sand

The sand used for the f-sand was bought from the local market at an affordable

price.

B. Preparation of Seeds

We used a knife to cut open the red kidney beans and attained the seeds, then

the seeds were crushed; this was done by using the mortar and pestle. After crushing,

6
a sieve test was conducted to obtain the desired 0.6 mm particle size. This process

was done until all crushed seeds had been successfully sieved (Muthuraman, et.al,

2013).

Figure 3. Crushing of Seeds

7
 Figure 4. Sieve Test (.6mm)

C. F-sand making

i. Extraction

The 10g of crushed and sieved Phaseolus vulgaris/Moringa olefeira seeds

were placed in containers containing 500 ml of distilled water. The solutions were

mixed thoroughly for 5 minutes. After the mixing, the mixtures were filtered. These

were done by using a Whatman #42 filter paper.

Figure 5. Filtering and Extraction of Seed Extract using Whatman #42 Filter Paper
ii. Merging

of seed

extract and sand

The filtered extract was then mixed with the 30g of sand. This was done 3

times, 5 minutes each.

8
 Figure 6. Seed Extract and Sand Merging

D. Collection of Water

Sample

The water sample was collected from the Pampanga River. The water was

collected by immersing a sterilized plastic container until it was full. This was done

until 1 liter or more of river water had been collected. The water was then treated

using the prepared f-sand.

Figure 8. Collection of Water Sample from Pampanga River

E. Turbidity Test of Water Sample

9
 The collected water sample from Pampanga River, flowing from Pampanga to

Nueva Ecija, was tested to identify mainly its turbidity as well as its pH, alkalinity,

hardness, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids at CRL Environmental

Corporation.

F. Coagulation of Water Sample

The f-sand was used by applying it to the turbid water sample. This was

executed to test the effectiveness of the f-sand on the turbidity, pH, alkalinity,

hardness, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids.

Figure 9. Coagulation of Water Sample from Pampanga River

G. Water Quality Test

The quality of the water was tested with assistance from CRL Environmental

Corporation. The f – sand was tested in a fixed dosage of 40g. Then, the results were

averaged. The results consisted of the following: Turbidity, pH, Total Dissolved

Solids, Total Hardness, Alkalinity, and Acidity. We used this data to access the

10
quality of water and the effectiveness of the Phaseolus vulgaris-infused f-sand in

coagulation compared to Moringa Oleifera infused f-sand.

Experimental Setup

Sample ID Amount of Amount of Turbid

F-sand (g) Water Treated
(mL)
PV 1 40 400
PV 2 40 400
PV 3 40 400

Table 1. Experimental Setup using Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand -treated water

Controlled Setup

Sample ID Amount of Amount of Turbid

F-sand (g) Water Treated
(mL)
MO 1 40 400
MO 2 40 400
MO 3 40 400

11
 Table 2. Controlled Setup using Moringa oleifera f-sand -treated water

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Sample ID Initial Dosage of f-sand Residual Turbidity

turbidity infused Phaseolus turbidit removal
vulgaris per 500 ml y (NTU) (%)
(NTU) (g)

PV 1 45 50 4 91.11
PV 2 45 50 5 88.89
PV 3 45 50 4 91.11

Average 4.33 90.37

Table 3. Turbidity Test Results of Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand – treated water

12
 The results of the Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand-treated turbid water show that it

significantly decreased the water's turbidity. 50 grams of f-sand was each used to treat

three samples of turbid water of 45 NTU. The first and third samples have similar

outcomes, it removed 91.11% of the waters' turbidity and now both have 4 NTU

residual turbidity. The second sample, meanwhile, reduced the turbidity by 88.89%

and has a residual turbidity of 5 NTU. The samples' recorded an average of 4.33 NTU

in its residual turbidity and turbidity removal of 90.37%. These data shows that the

qualities of the treated water by Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand passed the Philippine

National Standards for Drinking-Water (PNSDW).

Sample ID Initial Dosage of f-sand Residual Turbidity

turbidity infused Moringa turbidity removal
oleifera per 400 (NTU) (%)
(NTU) ml (g)

MO 1 45 50 3 93.33
MO 2 45 50 2 95.56
MO 3 45 50 4 91.11

Average 3 93.33

Table 4. Turbidity Test Results of Moringa oleifera f-sand –treated water

The test results of the Moringa oleifera-infused f-sand-treated water depict that

it exhibited significant effects in terms of water coagulation. Each water sample of 45

NTU was also treated with 50 g worth of Moringa oleifera f-sand. Each sample

showed close results in terms of their turbidity. The first sample had 93.33% of its

13

Table 4. Turbidity Test Results of Moringa oleifera f-sand – treated water

turbidity removed and now has 3 NTU residual turbidity. The second has an improved

residual turbidity of 2 NTU courtesy of 95.56% turbidity removal. The last sample

has 4 NTU residual turbidity and 91.11% of its turbidity was decreased. The

improved samples had an average of 93.33% turbidity removal and residual turbidity

of 3 NTU. The numbers display that Moringa Oleifera-infused f-sand water qualifies

under the parameters of PNSDW as a fixed alternative for water coagulation.

Table 5. Comparison of Turbidity Test Results of Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand –

treated water and Moringa oleifera f-sand

Table 5 displays the comparison of Phaseolus vulgaris f-sand and Moringa

oleifera f-sand in terms of the water samples' improved turbidity (NTU). The test

14
results briefly show that Moringa Oleifera coagulates better since it is already a

standard alternative for water coagulation but Phaseolus vulgaris is a close substitute

for it and their effects are significantly close meaning that they are both suitable for

water coagulation.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Based from the results of the testing and evaluations, the proponents concluded that

Phaseolus vulgaris seed-infused f-sand can be used as an alternative for water

coagulation. With this, it can be a close second for the standard Moringa oleifera-

infused f-sand and it reduces the turbidity of the water significantly which is the main

objective of water coagulation.

Thorough tests can be conducted to better assess the effectiveness of the Phaseolus

vulgaris seeds in f-sand. These include: identifying microbes in the turbid water and

identifying metals and substances found in the waste water.

This alternative is tested, verified and the results show that it is effective in its

capability in reducing the turbidity of a water sample. Further features of this

alternative could be enhanced by reviewing a more detailed method, expanding the

range of its capabilities to purify water, finding ways to remove chemical substances

15
from water (nitrogen, pesticides, metals, toxins, etc.), conducting the testing with

varying amounts of f-sand and a better, more practical filtration system. The

researchers would also like to encourage innovators to take interest in discovering

more alternative seeds for f-sand in water coagulation.

16
 References

Antov, M. G., Šćiban, M. B., & Petrović, N. J. (2010). Proteins from common bean (

Phaseolus vulgaris) seed as a natural coagulant for potential application in

water turbidity removal. Bioresource technology, 101(7), 2167-2172.

Arbotante, C., Bandao, J., De Leon, A., De Leon, C., Janairo, Z., Lapuz, J., ... &

Salunga, F. (2015, March). Water Quality in Pampanga River Along Barangay

Buas in Candaba, Pampanga. In Proceedings of the DLSU Research Congress

( Vol. 3).

Bratby, J. (1980). Coagulation and flocculation. England: Uplands.

Bratby, J. (2006). Coagulation and flocculation in water and wastewater treatment.

IWA publishing.

Efstratiou, A., Ongerth, J. E., & Karanis, P. (2017). Waterborne transmission of

protozoan parasites: Review of worldwide outbreaks-An update 2011–2016.

Water Research, 114, 14-22.

Engelhardt, T. L. (2010). Coagulation, flocculation and clarification of drinking

water. Drinking water sector, Hach Company.

Environmental Management Bureau. (1996). Philippine environmental quality report

(1990-1995). Manila: Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Gorecho, Dennis. (1998, January 10). “Water: RP’s future is dry and dirty.” Today,

A21.

17
Hinrichsen, D., & Tacio, H. (2002). The coming freshwater crisis is already here. The

linkages between population and water. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson

International Center for Scholars, 1-26.

Jen Laskey (2015). The Health Benefits of Water.

Langit, Richel (1996, April 29). “Rich, poor both cry out, ‘Tubig!’” The Manila

Times, A4

McGraw-Hill (1971). Water Quality and Treatment, 3rd edition.

Muthuraman, G., Sasikala, S., & Prakash, N. (2013). Proteins from natural coagulant

for potential application of turbidity removal in water. Proteins, 3(1).

Šc´iban, M., Klašnja, M., Antov, M., Škrbic´, B., 2009. Removal of water turbidity by

natural coagulants obtained from chestnut and acorn. Bioresource Technol.

100, 6639–6643.

Šc´iban, M., Klašnja, M., Stojimirovic´, J., 2005. Investigation of coagulation activity

of natural coagulants from seeds of different leguminose species. APTEFF 36,

81–87.

Walton, J. R. (2014). Chronic aluminum intake causes Alzheimer's disease: applying

Sir Austin Bradford Hill's causality criteria. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease,

40(4), 765-838.

World Health Organization (2017). 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at

home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation. Retrieved November, 22, 2017.

18
Xiong, B., Piechowicz, B., Wang, Z., Marinaro, R., Clement, E., Carlin, T., ... &

Velegol, S. B. (2017). Moringa oleifera f-sand Filters for Sustainable Water

Purification. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 5(1), 38-42.

Zurina, A. Z., Mohd Fadzli, M., Ghani, A., & Abdullah, L. (2014). Preliminary study

of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) seed as potential biocoagulant for

turbidity removal. In Advanced Materials Research (Vol. 917, pp. 96-105).

Trans Tech Publications.

19
APPENDICES

20
 Appendix A

Institutions and Laboratories

Image 1. Authentication of the Phaseolus vulgaris and Moringa oleifera Seeds

At Bureau of Plant Industry

21
Image 2. The Researchers at CRL Environmental Corporation

22
 Appendix B

Methodology

Image 3. Crushing of Phaseolus vulgaris Seeds

Image 4. Crushing of Moringa oleifera Seeds

23
 Image 5. Sieve Testing using .6mm Sieve

Image 6. Weighing of Crushed Phaseolus vulgaris and Moringa oleifera Seeds

24
 Image 7. Shaking of Crushed Seeds with Distilled Water

Image 8. Filtering of Seed Extract using Whatman #42 Filter Paper

25
 Image 9. Mixing of Sand and Seed Extract

a. b.
Image 10. Treatment of Turbid Water: a. Before Treatment, b. After Treatment

26
 Appendix C

Consultations

Image 11. Consultation at Angeles City Water District

27
Image 12. Consultation at CRL Environmental Corporation

28
 Appendix D

Test Results

Image 13. Authentication of Phaseolus vulgaris and Moringa oleifera Seeds

29
Image 14. Raw Test Results Provided by CRL Environmental Corporation

30
31
 Appendix E

Parameters

Image 15. Parameters for Drinking Water from PNSDW 2017

32