Abstract
Polymer flocculants are used to promote solid–liquid separation processes in potable water and wastewater treatment. Recently, bio-based flocculants have received a lot of attention due to their superior advantages over conventional synthetic polymers or inorganic agents. Among natural polymers, polysaccharides show many benefits such as biodegradability, non-toxicity, ability to undergo different chemical modifications, and wide accessibility from renewable sources. The following article provides an overview of bio-based flocculants and their potential application in water treatment, which may be an indication to look for safer alternatives compared to synthetic polymers. Based on the recent literature, a new approach in searching for biopolymer flocculants sources, flocculation mechanisms, test methods, and factors affecting this process are presented. Particular attention is paid to flocculants based on starch, cellulose, chitosan, and their derivatives because they are low-cost and ecological materials, accepted in industrial practice. New trends in water treatment technology, including biosynthetic polymers, nanobioflocculants, and stimulant-responsive flocculants are also considered.
Highlights
Human activity and global industrialization are increasingly affecting the natural environment, which results in the growing pollution of natural water sources
Polysaccharides are biopolymers that are synthesized in nature in plants or in animal organisms, e.g., chitin and chitosan, the source of which are the shells of crustaceans, insects, and fungi
The obtained results indicate the conducted on model dyes solutions of Reactive black 5 (Rb-5), Acid blue 113 (Ab-113) and methyl high efficiency of chitosan-acrylamide-fulvic acid (CAMFA) terpolymer in removing Rb-5 and Ab-113 dyes reaching over 90%, in a very high dose of up to nearly 300 mg/L
Summary
Human activity and global industrialization are increasingly affecting the natural environment, which results in the growing pollution of natural water sources. It is possible that small amounts of polymers after water treatment will get into the environment in finely divided form or as diluted solution, which creates an additional problem [13] This is the reason new biodegradable, safe, and economical substitutes of the conventional agents are sought. Polysaccharides are biopolymers that are synthesized in nature in plants (e.g., cellulose, starch, and pectin) or in animal organisms, e.g., chitin and chitosan, the source of which are the shells of crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, and shrimp), insects, and fungi Their properties depend on the chemical structure, rich in functional moieties, mainly hydroxyl groups and amine, carbonyl, etc. The basics of flocculation mechanisms are briefly described to cover the topic fully and comprehensively
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
