Coagulant Agent Research Articles

Green Approach for Water Treatment

The common first step for water treatment is removing the particulate impurities by coagulation and flocculation. The conventional treatment uses polyvalent salts such as aluminum sulfate, iron (III) chloride, and synthetic polymers as coagulating agents which leads to potential toxicity. The purpose of this study is to identify environmentally friendly natural products as coagulant agents for water treatment. Four plant seeds (Amaranth, chia, quinoa, and wheat germ), corn cob, orange peel, and avocado peel were tested. Turbidity measurements were conducted with a wireless, portable turbidity sensor. Data was collected on a smartphone. The performance of the turbidity sensor was evaluated by preparation of a calibration curve (r2 = 0.9928). Results show that all four plant seeds and avocado peel demonstrated the ability to decrease the turbidity of the water sample. Among the four seeds that were studied, Amaranth and chia were identified as the top two natural coagulant agents. Inter-day and Intra-day studies were performed for the turbidity measurements. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was found to be less than 10%, indicating the method has good precision. The method can serve as a point-of-use water treatment in remote areas of developing countries with limited resources.

Characterization of Active Coagulant Agent from Crude and Extracted Stem of Musa for Treating Food Processing Wastewater

Characterization of Active Coagulant Agent from Crude and Extracted Stem of Musa for Treating Food Processing Wastewater

Organoleptic Quality of Herbal Coagulated Chhana Spread

The current study was conducted in the Animal Husbandry & Dairying (Dairy Technology) department of the C.S.A. University of Agriculture & Technology Kanpur. By using herbal coagulants to coagulate cow's milk fat, chhana spread was created with specific textural and organoleptic characteristics. In the experiment, two distinct water-herbal coagulant ratios (90:10 and 80:20), two different storage times (fresh day and 10 days) at 5°C refrigeration temperature, and three different coagulant agents (aonla extract, lemon extract, and ginger extract) were used to make chhana spread from cow milk. The five organoleptic qualities include flavor, body and texture, color and appearance, spreadability, and overall acceptance. The study found that after a new day of storage, the physical/organoleptic quality of chhana spread which is prepared from cow milk employing herbal coagulants was superior to other spreads.

Analysis of the efficiency of different Oleaginous seeds and shells for use as natural coagulants

The research problem is to reduce the use of chemical coagulants by seeking more sustainable alternatives to water treatment. The use of Moringa oleifera (MO) is a good alternative coagulant agent, indicated in the water treatment system, in its clarification process, in addition to being biodegradable, but there is a need to look for other seeds that also have potential for be used as natural coagulants, in this context, it is justified to study other typical seeds from Portugal, where this study was carried out, to be used as an alternative natural coagulant. The hypothesis of this project is: among the typically European seeds selected for evaluation, seeds with high potential for use as a natural coagulant for use in water treatment will be found. This project aims to identify seeds, typical of Portugal, with similar potential to Moringa oleifera Lam to be used as a natural coagulant. The project was carried out in partnership with UFS, IFS and ISEP, where experiments were carried out with synthetic water with turbidity ranging from 40 to 350 NTU. The seeds used were four different types of European chestnuts, American and Portuguese nuts, plantain and Moringa oleifera, in addition to chestnut and walnut shells. From the results found, the Spanish chestnuts stand out with a turbidity removal efficiency of up to 69.8% in high turbidity water, in addition to the MO with a removal efficiency of 89.8% in high turbidity water.

Chemical Quality of Chhana Spread Prepared from Cow Milk Using Herbal Coagulants

The current study was carried out at the C.S.A. University of Agriculture and Technology Kanpur's department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Dairy Technology). Chhana spread is a popular acid coagulated milk product has fairly high nutritional value. Its mild acidic flavour, soft body and smooth texture make it highly suitable for consumption. In the experiment, chhana spread was made with cow milk with three different coagulant agents (aonla extract, lemon extract, and ginger extract), two different water-herbal coagulant ratios (90:10 and 80:20), and two different storage periods (0 and 10 days) at 5°C refrigeration temperature. Moisture, Fat, Protein, Lactose, and Ash are five chemical characteristics. The chemical quality of chhana spread made from cow milk utilising herbal coagulants was shown to be better than other spreads after a fresh day storage period, according to the study.

EVALUATION OF RESPONSE PANELIST ABILITY SOLUTION OF YOUNG PINEAPPLE IN CLUMPING MILK PROTEIN INTO MILK TOFU


 
 
 This study aims to evaluate the response of the panelists to milk tofu with the use of a natural coagulation agent, namely young pineapple juice. The study was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments and four replications. Each replication using 1000 ml of cow milk, the four treatments were adding 30cc of pineapple juice (P1), adding 40cc of pineapple juice (P2), adding 50cc of pineapple juice (P3), and adding 60cc of pineapple juice (P4). The observed variables were the hedonic test for the level of preference and the sensory quality test, namely color, taste, scent, elasticity and overall acceptance. The results of this study indicated that the manufacture of milk tofu using natural coagulation ingredients of young pineapple juice (Ananas comosus) from all variables (color, taste, scent, elasticity, and overall acceptance) and each treatment (P1, P2, P3, P4) showed that the results were significantly different (P<0.05). The hedonic test value (preferred level) on color, taste, scent, and overall acceptance was highest in P1 with a sequential value of 4.12; 4.16; 4.08; and 3.88, while the highest value for elasticity was found at P3. The conclusion of this study can be suggested using 30 cc of young pineapple juice as a natural coagulation material in the manufacture of milk tofu because it produces milk tofu with a milky white color, the scent of cow milk, a slightly chewy texture, and a slight milk taste.
 
 

Economical Viable Liquid Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC) Coagulation Agent Used to Treat Ceramic Industries Effluent to Remove Suspended Solid

Economical Viable Liquid Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC) Coagulation Agent Used to Treat Ceramic Industries Effluent to Remove Suspended Solid

Ferrate as an all-in-one coagulant, oxidant, and disinfectant for drinking water treatment

In this study, ferrate was synthesized and applied as a green and multi-purpose agent for simultaneous coagulation, oxidation, and disinfection to remove turbidity, TSS, COD, UV254, and pathogens from Hau River water. Statistical analyses showed that pH, ferrate dose, and their interaction significantly affected the removals of turbidity, COD, UV254, and coliforms. While ferrate provided the highest removal efficiencies of disinfection, COD, and UV254 at low pH (pH 5), suggesting its role in the oxidation process, it is necessary to raise pH (pH 9) to achieve high turbidity removal via sweep flocculation. The single use of ferrate at pH 5 and 5 mgFe/L resulted in the removal efficiencies of 75% of turbidity, 92% of COD, and 100% of coliforms. The combination of ferrate with alum (2.5 mgFe/L, 8 mgAl/L, and pH 7) followed by sand filtration achieved 95% removal of COD and 100% removal of both turbidity and coliform.

Invited review. Milk clotting enzymes: A transcendental decision in goat´s milk cheese quality

Cheese production has increased more than 3.5-fold since 1960, while animal rennet production has declined, thus other proteolytic enzymes have been developed. Cheese quality depend on many factors, some of them are linked to milk composition (genetic aspects: species, breed and animal, lactation stage and number, type of kidding, animal feeding and health, offspring season, etc.) and other due to cheesemaking aspects and storage processing (raw or pasteurized milk, coagulation enzymes and coagulation parameters (temperature and time), moulding, drainage, salting, ripening, smoking, etc.). All these factors interact and only under experimental conditions it is possible to analyse the effect of any particular feature by itself. Between all these factors, milk coagulation process is one of the most important steps for the cheese final characteristics. The differences in protein matrix degradation due the origin of coagulant agents affect cheese texture, odour, flavour and taste and consequently consumer’s preference. This last assertion is especially important for the economic choices of the dairy firm. In the past, cheesemakers used animal rennet for curdling milk; it was produced by macerating the stomachs obtained from suckling ruminants according to the local uses, although plant coagulant was used in some typical specific cheesemaking processes. Nowadays, several types of coagulant are available, with different origin and variability in proteases for milk coagulation: animal origin rennet and vegetable coagulants than can be both artisan or commercial, microbial proteases and recombinant from genetically modified microorganism with cDNA for chymosin. In this paper the state of the art of these enzymes used in goat´s cheese industry is presented, also focused on artisan cheeses. Coagulant effect in physical-chemical and sensory profile of cheeses is analysed, also under an ethical and religious point of view. Finally, the importance of the market target in producing new cheese with vegetable coagulant is met, with an overview on the trends on cheese labelling issue.

Synthesis of hydrogels from fractionated proteins of Moringa oleifera Lam. seeds for the treatment of water contaminated with black reactive dye 5

AbstractAs has been portrayed in the literature, the main proteins extracted from the seeds of Moringa oleifera Lam. have coagulant and clarifying potential in water treatment. However, when using them as coagulant agents, sludge formation occurs, which is an environmental problem. Thus, it was proposed to synthesize hydrogels from the main Moringa seeds proteins and use them as adsorbents. This work aimed to synthesize albumin hydrogels and globulin hydrogels and evaluate their efficiency as adsorbents to remove the reactive black 5 dye. Through FTIR spectrum it was possible to confirm that the synthesis of hydrogels occurred successfully. The kinetic data fit the pseudo‐second order model for both hydrogels. The equilibrium isotherms showed that adsorption occurs in multilayers, due to Freundlich fitting. The maximum adsorption capacity occurred at 298 K and was 1.19 mg g−1 for the albumin hydrogel and 10.06 mg g−1 for the globulin hydrogel. Through the results it is possible to state that globulin hydrogel was more favourable for adsorption since it has a more porous morphology and requires less mass compared to albumin hydrogel.

Assessment of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) as a natural coagulant for water treatment

Abstract Natural coagulants can be an alternative solution to minimise the environmental pollution and health risks caused by the use of chemical coagulants. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of groundnut extract for turbidity removal from water. For this, the active coagulant agents were extracted from the deshelled nuts and used in a series of water treatment tests performed at low, medium, and high turbidity levels using synthetic turbid water. The groundnut extract showed good coagulative abilities, close to those of Al2(SO4)3. The best performance was obtained at medium turbidity (150 NTU), where the extract removed 89% of the turbidity using a 500 mg/L dosage. However, it was not as efficient as Al2(SO4)3, whose coagulation was better at every turbidity level. The use of the groundnut extract does not modify the water's pH significantly and the floc size decreases as turbidity increases, although they are bigger than those produced by Al2(SO4)3. Its flocculation and sedimentation processes are also quick (each less than 10 min) and quicker than those with Al2(SO4)3. Hence, the groundnut extract is a viable alternative to chemical coagulants.

The Potential of Snake Venoms as Coagulation Agent for Hemorrhagic Trauma: A Review

Snake venom contains a variety of proteins and enzymes that can affect blood coagulation and have been investigated for their potential use as hemostatic agents to stop hemorrhage. Hemorrhage can be caused by a variety of factors, including injury, surgery, and certain medical conditions, and can be life-threatening if not controlled. Several components of snake venom have been identified as potential hemostatic agents. One such component is Batroxobin, a metalloproteinase found in the venom of the Bothrops atrox snake. Batroxobin has been shown to activate prothrombin to thrombin, which promotes clot formation and can be used to stop bleeding. Ancrod is a serine protease that can cleave fibrinogen, reducing the concentration of fibrinogen in the blood and preventing clot formation. Ancrod has been used as a hemostatic agent in the past, but its use has been limited due to concerns about its safety and efficacy. Other components of snake venom, such as those found in the venom of Russell's viper and the saw-scaled viper, have been found to have potential as hemostatic agents. These components have been shown to activate factor X and have been investigated as potential treatments for hemorrhage. The use of snake venom as a hemostatic agent is not without its challenges. One of the main concerns is the potential for adverse reactions, including allergic reactions, and the risk of complications such as thrombosis. Additionally, the availability of snake venom is limited, and the production of synthetic versions of these compounds can be challenging. Despite these challenges, the potential of snake venom as a hemostatic agent is promising, particularly in the development of new, more targeted treatments for hemorrhage. Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms of action of snake venom-derived hemostatic agents and to develop safe and effective therapeutic agents. In conclusion, snake venom contains a variety of components that have the potential as hemostatic agents to stop hemorrhage. While the use of snake venom-derived hemostatic agents is not without its challenges, these agents have promising potential in the treatment of a range of medical conditions. Keywords: Snake venom, coagulation agent, hemorrhagic trauma

Fibrinolytic Protease-Producing Bacteria with Varied Hemolysis Pattern Associated with Marine Algae Dictyota sp.

The main death factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the formation of a blood clot (thrombus). Thrombus is formed by the action of fibrin, playing a role as a blood coagulation agent. Administration of fibrinolytic enzymes can degrade fibrin through the fibrinolysis process. Therefore, searching for new sources of fibrinolytic enzymes becomes critical in eradicating diseases by fibrinolysis of thrombus. This study aims to isolate fibrinolytic protease-producing bacteria associated with fermented brown algae products Dictyota sp, of Awur Bay, Jepara, Indonesia, and to observe their hemolysis pattern. As many as 14 unique bacterial colonies previously isolated from fermented Dictyota sp. were sub-cultured using Zobell Agar (ZA) medium. Skim Milk Agar (SMA) and Fibrin Agar (FA) were then used as selective media to detect the presence of fibrinolytic protease-producing bacteria, which was indicated by their ability to form a clear proteolytic and fibrinolytic zone simultaneously around bacterial colonies. Hemolysis characteristics of fibrinolytic bacteria were determined using Blood Agar Plate (BAP) to test their ability to produce hemolysin toxin. As a result, of these 14 isolates, 3 of them, namely FD-09, FD-13, and FD-14 (FD= Fermented Dictyota), could produce both proteolytic and fibrinolytic zone with a fibrinolytic index range of 2.0–2.9. Isolate FD-09 is the least pathogenic (g-hemolytic) compared to other fibrinolytic isolates, FD-13 (b-hemolytic) and FD-14 (a-hemolytic), in terms of hemolysin toxicity. In conclusion, fermented Dictyota sp. is a potential source of bacteria-producing fibrin-degrading protease with varied hemolysis patterns. It is necessary to identify bacteria-producing fibrinolytic protease isolates Dictyota sp. and further characterization regarding the specificity and activity of the resulting protease to develop its potential as an antithrombotic agent.

Oil-Water Emulsion Flocculation through Chitosan Desolubilization Driven by pH Variation.

Water pollution is a major concern in our modern age. The contamination of water, as a valuable and often limited resource, affects both the environment and human health. Industrial processes such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical production also contribute to this problem. Vegetable oil production, for example, generates a stable oil/water emulsion containing 0.5-5% oil, which presents a difficult waste disposal issue. Conventional treatment methods based on aluminum salts generate hazardous waste, highlighting the need for green and biodegradable coagulant agents. In this study, the efficacy of commercial chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from chitin deacetylation, has been evaluated as a coagulation agent for vegetable oil emulsions. The effect of commercial chitosan was assessed in relation to different surfactants (anionic, cationic, and nonpolar) and pH levels. The results demonstrate that chitosan is effective at concentrations as low as 300 ppm and can be reused, providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution for oil removal. The flocculation mechanism relies on the desolubilization of the polymer, which acts as a net to entrap the emulsion, rather than solely relying on electrostatic interactions with the particles. This study highlights the potential of chitosan as a natural and ecofriendly alternative to conventional coagulants for the remediation of oil-contaminated water.

Study of the Sedimentation Parameters of an Iron Ore Tailing from Fundão Dam Using a Tannin-Based Coagulant

From the rupture of the Fundão dam in Mariana–MG, there are tailings still present at the bottom of the plant that must be recovered. The flocculation followed by sedimentation operation can be applied as a unit operation in this recovering process. Instead of using conventional inorganic coagulants, bio-based coagulants offer some advantages, due to their low toxicity and biodegradability. Nonetheless, the use of bio-based coagulants in the mining industry is not established yet, due to the complex parameters that must be taken in consideration. This study analyzes the influence of the pH and flocculant concentration, which are the variables of the 22 full factorial design. The pH value for the batch sedimentation process was defined ranging from 5 to 9. Tanfloc, a tannin-based coagulant, was used as a coagulant agent. The results indicate a strong dependence on the coagulant concentration, and a recommended 15 g/L dosage with pH varying from 6 to 8. From batch sedimentation, it was possible to determine an exponential model for the sedimentation with an excellent fitting (R2 = 0.997). The sedimentation efficiency calculated is 65.6%. These results confirm the potential use of bio-based materials in mining tailing treatments. In addition, they can be used in equipment sizing and simulations of the sedimentation operation.

Reduced graphene oxide influences morphology and thermal properties of silk/cellulose biocomposites

In recent decades, research into biomaterials such as silk or cellulose has rapidly expanded due to their abundance, low cost, and tunable morphological as well as physicochemical properties. Cellulose is appealing due to its crystalline and amorphous polymorphs while silk is attractive due to its tunable secondary structure formations which is made up of flexible protein fibers. When these two biomacromolecules are mixed, their properties can be modified by changing their material composition and fabrication methodology, e.g., solvent type, coagulation agent, and temperature. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) can be used to increase molecular interactions and stabilization of natural polymers. In this study, we sought to determine how small amounts of rGO affect the carbohydrate crystallinity and protein secondary structure formation as well as physicochemical properties and how they affect overall ionic conductivity of cellulose-silk composites. Properties of fabricated silk and cellulose composites with and without rGO were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Scattering, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis. Our results show that addition of rGO influenced morphological and thermal properties of cellulose-silk biocomposites, specifically through cellulose crystallinity and silk β-sheet content which further impacted ionic conductivity.

Sustainable Microalgal Harvesting Process Applying Opuntia cochenillifera: Process Parameters Optimization

Microalgae harvesting by coagulation can use coagulant agents such as alum, synthetic polymers or biocoagulants. Biocoagulants have attracted the attention of researchers because they are natural, biodegradable, and promote high microalgal harvesting efficiencies. This study aims to optimize the harvesting of Chlorella vulgaris based on the dosage of the Opuntia cochenillifera extract and the choice of eluent for biopolymer extraction. The outdoor cultivation of C. vulgaris achieved a specific growth rate of 0.455 d−1 and a maximum biomass concentration of 1.28 gDW L−1. In order to harvest the microalgal biomass, the polymer present in the mucilage of O. cochenillifera was extracted using NaOH and HCl. Coagulation and sedimentation assays were performed with different coagulant dosages: 3.5, 5.9, and 8.2 g L−1. The maximum harvesting efficiencies using the acid and alkaline extract coagulant solutions were 80.8% and 99.5%, respectively, with a dosage of 3.5 g L−1. According to the results, the C. vulgaris biomass can be harvested with the mucilage from O. cochenillifera in acid and alkaline eluents. The application of this biocoagulant constitutes a sustainable solution for microalgal harvesting.

Treatment of Poultry Wastewater with Tannin as a Natural Coagulation Agent

The coagulation-flocculation process frequently employs chemical-based coagulants and flocculants. The disadvantages of utilizing these chemical substances have triggered researchers to investigate natural substances to replace or reduce the number of chemical-based coagulants and flocculants. Thus, this study investigates the potential use of tannin as a natural coagulant for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. Results indicated that a pH of 6.9 and a dosage of 2mL of tannin resulted in the higher removal of different pollutants from slaughterhouse wastewater. Tannin was able to perform excellent elimination efficiency for all parameters under these ideal conditions. Turbidity, COD, colour, and TSS all had removal efficiencies of 93.7%, 76.2%, 95.7%, and 88.9%, respectively. Results were compared to alum, which was used as a coagulant, and it was found that pH 6.9 and dosage of 5mL were the optimum conditions for alum in slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. Alum achieved 92.8% for turbidity, 75.4% for COD, 93.1% for colour, and 91.7% for TSS, respectively. In contrast to alum, tannin is a natural substance that produces a small quantity of sludge while being safe for the environment and non-toxic. The tannin coagulant has the potential to be an efficient and productive coagulant agent for wastewater treatment from slaughterhouses.

Efficacy and Safety of Warfarin Therapy: Comparison Between Specialized INR Clinic and General Medical Clinic

Background: Although warfarin is known as effective oral anticoagulant to prevent thromboembolic events, its’ narrow therapeutic index requires ambient and good follow-up to reduce its therapeutic complications. There is a continuous debate whether the best practice to accomplish this goal is in a specialized international normalized ratio clinic (INR-C) or in a general medical clinic (General-C). Few, if any, studies have been done in Sudan to compare the safety and efficacy of anticoagulant therapy in those clinics. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant therapy in INR-C and in General-C. Methods: This is a prospective hospital-based study where 200 patients were divided into two groups (group A and B) of 100 patients. Group A were in the INR-C at Ahmed Gasim specialized hospital and group B in the General-Cat AL-Shaab teaching hospital. The study was conducted from September 2019 to April 2020. All patients were on warfarin treatment and regular follow-ups were conducted. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed statistically using SPSS version 20. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the Sudanese Medical Specialization Board (SMSB). Results: Of the 200 patients, 118/59% were females and 82/41% were males. Target international normalized ratio (INR) for group (A) was achieved in 56% of the patients in the first visit, increased to 63% in the second visit, and 75% in the third follow-up, compared with 24% of the patients from group (B) in the initial and second follow-up visit, to 43% in the third visit (P value=0.05). Knowledge about drug and food interaction of coagulation agents was higher (91%) among patients in group (A) compared with group (B) (56%). Drug interaction awareness was found in 89% of the patients in group (A) compared with only 40% in group (B) (P value=0.05). Major bleeding was reported in 2% and 14% of the patients of group (A) and (B) respectively, whereas minor bleeding was seen in 4% of group (A) and 11% of group (B). Conclusion: The study showed that INR-C is more efficient and safer for patients on regular warfarin therapy compared with the General-C.

Dopamine‐assisted wet spinning and mechanical reinforcement of graphene oxide fibers

AbstractBioinspired polydopamine coatings have been widely used for the surface modification of various materials because of their strong adhesion, facile application method, and functionalization ability. However, dopamine has not been previously utilized as a coagulation agent for graphene oxide fibers (GOFs). In this study, we performed the wet spinning of GOFs using dopamine as a coagulation agent (denoted as DA‐GOFs) and successive polymerization of dopamine inside the fibers. The polymerized DA‐GOFs (pDA‐GOFs) exhibited enhanced mechanical properties with a 97% higher tensile strength than that of the fibers coagulated with CaCl2. The described dopamine‐assisted wet spinning and polymerization process were simple but effective method for preparing mechanically strong fibers, which can be potentially employed in flexible and wearable electronic applications.