Moringa oleifera seed extract was confirmed as a feasible coagulant in removing surfactants from aqueous effluents. Amongst them, long-chain anionic detergents such as Polyoxyethylene (3.5) sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) was selected as a model compound for evaluating the coagulation response. The system coagulant-detergent was stable with different temperatures and pH, and the efficiency was very promising. M. oleifera was an effective coagulant since it was capable to reach up to 0.245 mg mg(-1) coagulation capacity according to Gu-Zhu model. Design of experiments presented an optimum combination of coagulant dosage and initial surfactant concentration of 234 mg L-1 and 76 mg L-1, respectively. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.