Abstract
Several river water fungal strains (RWF-1 to RWF-6) were isolated to investigate the potential of having coagulant properties from the metabolites produced by the fungus. The myco-coagulant produced from the liquid-state process was characterized and tested for flocculation of kaolin water. Molecular identification of the fungal strain isolated from river water and characterization of the myco-coagulant produced by the strain are presented in this paper. The genomic DNA of the fungal 18S ribosomal ribonucleic-acid (rRNA) and 28S rRNA genes were used and the species was identified as Lentinus squarrosulus strain 7-4-2 RWF-5. The characterization of myco-coagulant by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide and amine groups as principal functional groups were present in the new myco-coagulant. The mean zeta potential value of the myco-coagulant was −7.0 mV while the kaolin solution was −25.2 mV. Chemical analyses of the extracellular myco-coagulant revealed that it contained total sugar (5.17 g/L), total carbohydrate (237 mg/L), protein (295.4 mg/L), glucosamine (1.152 mg/L); and exhibited cellulase activity (20 units/L) and laccase activity (6.22 units/L). Elemental analyses of C, H, O, N and S showed that the weight fractions of each element in the myco-coagulant was 40.9, 6.0, 49.8, 1.7 and 1.4%, respectively. The myco-coagulant showed 97% flocculation activity at a dose of 1.8 mg/L, indicating good flocculation performance compared to that of polyaluminum chloride (PAC). The present work revealed that the fungal strain, L. squarrosulus 7-4-2 RWF-5 is able to produce cationic bio-coagulant. The flocculation mechanism of the novel myco-coagulant was a combination of polymer bridging and charge neutralization.
Highlights
IntroductionCoagulants are used in various activities, including water purification, wastewater treatment, food preparation, medication industries and fermentation
This fungus that produced good quality myco-coagulant was identified as Lentinus genus
The main objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of myco-coagulant in removing turbidity from river water
Summary
Coagulants are used in various activities, including water purification, wastewater treatment, food preparation, medication industries and fermentation. Industrial downstream processes require various types of coagulants [1,2]. Chemical coagulants are used in water treatment facilities due to their rapid production in bulk amounts at affordable costs [3,4]. The excessive use of these chemically produced coagulants may lead to various issues [5]. Aluminium content in poly aluminium chloride (PAC), which is a common coagulant used in the water industry, is associated with Alzheimer’s disease [6]. In order to combat the health risks due to aluminium-based coagulants, research works have been on-going to develop safe, environmentally friendly and degradable coagulants. Acrylamide monomer residues in polyacrylamide are carcinogenic and neurotoxic to human beings [7]
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