The use of a natural coagulant (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the removal for organic materials of textile effluents

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the activity of the coagulant extracted from the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) in the process of coagulation/flocculation of textile effluents. Preliminary tests of a kaolinite suspension achieved maximum turbidity removal of 95 % using an NaCl extraction solution. Optimization assays were conducted with actual effluents using the response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken experimental design. The responses of the variables FeCl3, dosage, cactus dosage, and pH in the removal of COD and turbidity from both effluents were investigated. The optimum conditions determined for jeans washing laundry effluent were the following: FeCl3 160 mg L(-1), cactus dosage 2.60 mg L(-1), and pH 5.0. For the fabric dyeing effluent, the optimum conditions were the following: FeCl3 640 mg L(-1), cactus dosage 160 mg L(-1), and pH 6.0. Investigation of the effects of the storage time and temperature of the cactus O. ficus-indica showed that coagulation efficiency was not significantly affected for storage at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Exploring the use of cactus Opuntia ficus indica in the biocoagulation–flocculation of Pb(II) ions from wastewaters

“…The nonsuperimposable nature of the two spectra, as a result of shifting to higher frequency of all the absorption peaks and the disappearance of peaks at 1078.04 and 2920.37 cm -1 on OFIP after the flocculation process, signified the involvement of carboxylic acids, amino acids and polysaccharides in the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. The result is in line with findings of de Souza et al (2014) who established the chemical composition of Opuntia ficus indica to be: 3.52 ± 0.21 % crude protein and 0.28 ± 0.015 % lipids among carbohydrates, L-arabinose, D-galactose, L-rhamnose, D-xylose and galacturonic acid, with the later existing in its polymerized form, polygalacturonic acid, and is reported as the active ingredient that affords the coagulation capability of Opuntia ficus indica mucilage (Jadhav and Mahajan 2014).…”

“…(Miller et al 2008), kenaf, Conicia indica (Varsha and Jay 2012), and Plantago psyllium. The advantages of natural flocculants over conventional coagulants-flocculants include their harmlessness, biodegradability, low commercial cost, relative abundance, renewability and high efficiency and therefore of smaller environmental impact compared to inorganic and synthetic polymers (Sharma et al 2006;de Souza et al 2014). It is desirable, therefore, to explore for these cost-effective and more environmentally acceptable bioflocculants to meet legislative requirements for a clean environment.…”

“…The cactus mucilage and cladode are receiving much attention for their coagulation-flocculation and biosorption abilities (Mane et al 2011;Bouatay and Mhenni 2014;Miller et al 2008;de Souza et al 2014) coupled to their ability to remove bacteria. The results obtained show that the flocculant has the potential to remove heavy metals, dyes and organic materials from aqueous environments.…”

Optimization of coagulation-flocculation process for treatment of industrial textile wastewater using okra (A. esculentus) mucilage as natural coagulant

“…The prolonged exposure to water with high residual aluminum content is linked to serious health issues, such as the development of Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia (Bodlund et al, 2014;Shak and Wu, 2014;Singh and Kumar, 2011;Rondeau et al, 2001). Hence, many natural coagulants/flocculants have been used for the treatment of textile wastewater (de Souza et al, 2014;Fatombi et al, 2013;2005 Natural polymers are more advantageous than inorganic compounds because they produce denser and more compact flakes, reduce the required inorganic coagulant dosage and produce smaller quantities of sludge (Renault et al, 2009). When extracted from plants cultivated in extractive regions or rural communities, they have the advantage of being a sustainable development initiative (Yin, 2010).…”

“…When extracted from plants cultivated in extractive regions or rural communities, they have the advantage of being a sustainable development initiative (Yin, 2010). Currently, the growing world concern with environmental issues has raised the interest in the natural polyelectrolytes' research because they are low-cost, an abundant source, highly biodegradable, low toxicity, usually have a large number of surface charges, which increases the efficiency of the coagulation process, have an environment-friendly behavior when compared to inorganic coagulants and synthetic polymers (de Souza et al, 2014;Fatombi et al, 2013;Antov et al, 2012;Yin, 2010;Renault et al, 2009). The use of natural polyelectrolytes can reduce wastewater treatment costs when crops can be grown and processed locally (Sanghi et al, 2006).…”