Effect of a natural coagulant extract from Opuntia ficus-indica cladode on electrocoagulation-electroflotation water treatment process

ABSTRACT

Opuntia ficus-indica: (OFI) cladode mucilage was extracted using conventional extraction (CE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), to test its effect on the efficiency of electrocoagulation-electroflotation (EC-EF) water treatment process. The mucilage was identified by biochemical assays, by scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM), and by Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that the UAE enhanced mucilage extraction yield. At 10 min of extraction time, the extraction yield attained 60.77 ± 1.07% at 60% of the amplitude sonication, while CE allows only 36.71 ± 1.07% after 60 min at 80 ⁰C. EC-EF mucilage-assisted process enhanced turbidity removal efficiency by 30% at 15 min of treatment time. Mucilage identification showed a bio-material, of a polysaccharide nature, with several functional groups through SEM, biochemical essays and ATR-FTIR, respectively. The addition of 5 mg/L OFI mucilage to EC-EF allowed 89.47% of EC-EF efficiency at 25 min.

KEYWORDS:

• Opuntia ficus-indica
• cladode mucilage
• biocoagulant
• ultrasound-assisted extraction
• electrocoagulation-electroflotation

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.