Small-scale protocol for magnetic coagulation testing.

Coagulation is a key process in water and wastewater treatment, typically evaluated using a standard jar test. However, this method requires large volumes of reagents and extended testing time, making it impractical in certain conditions. This study presents a novel miniaturized coagulation method using only 5 mL of wastewater to assess the performance of a magnetic coagulant synthesized from seed extract and FeO nanoparticles. Congo red dye served as the model pollutant, and the removal efficiency of the mini test was compared with the conventional jar test under identical conditions. The miniaturized method achieved a removal efficiency of 94.23 ± 0.611 %, which is slightly lower than the 97.06 ± 0.746 %, achieved by the conventional method. While statistical analysis indicated a significant difference (p < 0.05), the absolute difference (∼2.83 %) was minor and did not affect practical performance. • The proposed method offers significant advantages, including reduced reagent consumption, a lower sample volume, minimized waste generation, and enabled rapid screening of coagulant performance. • This approach aligns with green chemistry and engineering principles and serves as an efficient tool for early-stage coagulant screening, particularly in low-resource settings as well as high-throughput testing environments.