Social technology for water treatment in a riverine community in the Lower Branco River Region, Roraima, Extreme North of Brazil

Brazil suffers from the problem of lack of basic sanitation, and this fact is intensified in the Amazon region, as a large part of the population lives in areas of vulnerability. The use of chemical coagulants causes harm to the environment and human health. The application of natural coagulants emerges as a promising alternative, as it dispenses with the use of chemicals, presents a simple, low-cost, easy-to-reproduce methodology that is accessible to any community, promoting health and environmental improvements. The objective of this study was to produce a natural coagulant based on Amazonian cacti to treat water intended for human consumption in a riverside community. For the study, about 500 grams of the aerial part of Cereus jamacaru was collected in the community of Santa Maria do Boiaçu-RR. The thorns were removed, and the cactus was washed, cut, accommodated in trays and taken to the sun. After drying, the cactus pieces were crushed and sieved. The water samples for the study were collected at 3 points and the treatability test was carried out in the laboratory. Statistical analyzes revealed that the natural cactus-based coagulant is an efficient social technology for the treatment of groundwater and surface water.