Extracts of fava bean (Vicia faba L.) seeds as natural coagulants

• Fava bean seeds (Vicia faba L.) extracts were investigated as natural coagulants.
• Their content was analyzed.
• Coagulation tests were conducted.
• Influence of different parameters on coagulation activity was investigated.

In this study, applicability of extracts from fava bean seeds (Vicia faba L.), as natural coagulants, was investigated. Coagulants were obtained by extraction, with distilled water or NaCl solutions, from grinded seeds and were applied as coagulants, in various doses, in synthetic water having different initial turbidities and pH values. Presence of NaCl in water showed that increasing the ionic strength results in greater amount of extracted compounds, but it does not affect coagulation activity. Appling different doses of coagulant in water showed that the best coagulation activity is achieved by adding dose of 0.125 ml/l. The conducted experiments confirm positive coagulation properties of these extracts, therefore it can be concluded that they have great potential as natural coagulants.