This paper deals with studies on the evaluation of natural additives and synthetic polymers as Fe oxide dispersants in aqueous solutions The natural additives tested include lignosulfonate, fulvic acid, tannic acid, Na alginate, starch, and green tea extract It was found that additives containing phenolic, carboxyl, and sulfonic acid groups i.e., lignosulfonate, fulvic acid, tannic acid, and green tea extract exhibit superior performance as Fe oxide dispersants over alginate and starch. Among various synthetic polymers tested the results indicate that co- and ter-polymers containing carboxyl and sulfonic acid groups are better dispersants than the carboxyl group containing homopolymers. The results on the effect of impurities i.e., Fe3+, Al3+, cationic flocculant, and biocides show that these impurities when present at low concentrations exhibit antagonistic effect on the dispersant performance. Results also show that dispersant performance decreases with increasing Ca concentration