Abstract
The tofu industry produces wastewater containing organic matter, suspended solids, and high nitrogen compounds that have the potential to pollute the environment. This research compares the effectiveness of natural biocoagulants derived from maggot shells and moringa seeds with commercial alum coagulants in the coagulation-flocculation process of tofu wastewater. The novelty of this research lies in the use of maggot shells, which are biomass waste, as a natural coagulant. Until now, maggot shells have rarely been used in wastewater treatment, unlike moringa seeds, which have been extensively researched and proven to be effective due to their 44.8% cationic protein content. The research methods included the production of biocoagulants, the determination of the optimum dose through jar tests, and the analysis of pH, TSS, turbidity, and color parameters. The results indicated that all coagulants effectively reduced TSS, turbidity, and color levels. The alum coagulant demonstrated the highest efficiency, achieving 98.66% TSS removal, 86.67% turbidity removal, and 96.17% color removal at an optimal dose of 250 mg.L-1. The moringa seed biocoagulant achieved a comparable performance with 98.66% TSS, 86.67% turbidity, and 96.17% color removal at 150 mg.L-1. In contrast, the maggot shell biocoagulant showed moderate efficiency, removing 83.89% TSS, 74.96% turbidity, and 77.48% color removal at 150 mg.L-1.