Drying of Artocarpus Heterophyllus and is application in treating dye wastewater

Abstract

Coagulation is a common technique used in wastewater treatment plants to remove dissolved chemicals, turbidity, and colours. Aluminium sulphate (alum), the most common coagulant, has recently been connected to both Alzheimer’s disease and environmental issues. In order to deal with these issues, researchers are considering the possibility of developing a natural coagulant that is safe for both humans and the environment. In this research, Artocarpus Heterophyllus (Jackfruit) seeds were used to make a natural coagulant, and their use in the treatment of coloured wastewater was implemented. This study examined the effects of hot air-drying temperatures on the Jackfruit seed moisture content. Jackfruit seed application in dye wastewater treatment was also optimised via several experiments with varying coagulation parameters generated via central composite response surface design (CCD). Jackfruit seed drying and protein extraction are two crucial steps in making natural coagulants. Jackfruit seeds were dried in an oven at 40°C, 50 °C and 60°C to collect drying data. Drying information for the optimum air-drying temperature that produces the shortest drying time was used to generate five drying kinetic models. Based on the results of this research, 60°C hot air-drying temperature was chosen as the optimal drying temperature for Jackfruit seeds, resulting in the shortest total drying time of just 5 hours. Once the optimum hot air-drying temperature was recorded, five thin drying kinetic models were used to determine which module best explained the drying kinetics at the optimum hot air-drying temperature. Microsoft Excel solver was used to calculate the values of X2, R2, and RMSE. The kinetic model with the lowest X2 and RMSE was selected. The modified Midilli model was chosen as the best kinetic model for representing the drying performance of Jackfruit seeds, as it had the lowest X2 and RMSE. After that, the protein was extracted from jackfruit seeds that had been dried at 60°C for 5 hours. In order to extract the protein from jackfruit seeds, 2 g of dry seeds were dissolved in 100 mL of distilled water, blended, and filtered before being used in the Jar test. The initial concentration of dye wastewater, the pH of the wastewater, and the coagulant dosage were the main parameters in the jar test. Maximum colour removal of 85.81% was attained during Jackfruit seed-based dye wastewater treatment when the initial concentration of dye wastewater was 400 ppm; the coagulant dosage was 100mg/L, and the pH was 2. Therefore, these were chosen as the optimum parameters for treating dye wastewater with Jackfruit seeds.