The utility of Bacillus subtilis as a bioflocculant for fine coal

The application of Bacillus subtilis as a flocculant for fine coal has been reported here. Zeta-potential measurements showed that both the coal and bacteria had similar surface charge as a function of pH. Surface free energy calculations showed that the coal was hydrophobic while the bacterium was hydrophilic. The adhesion of the bacteria to coal and subsequent settling was studied in detail. Adhesion of bacteria to coal surface and subsequent settling of coal was found to be quick. Both adhesion and settling were found to be independent of pH, which makes the process very attractive for field applications. The presence of an electrolyte along with the bacterium was found to not only enhance adhesion of bacteria, but also produce a clear supernatant. Further, the settled fraction was more compact than with bacteria alone. Interaction energy calculations using the extended DLVO theory showed that the electrical forces along with the acid–base interaction energy play a dominant role in the lower pH range. Above pH 7, the acid–base interaction energy is the predominant attractive force and is sufficient enough to overcome the repulsive forces due to electrical charges to bring about adhesion and thus settling of fine coal. With increase in electrolyte concentration, the change in total interaction energy with pH is minimal which probably leads to better adhesion and hence settling.     

Two-stage pH Control Mode in Batch Fermentation of a Novel Bioflocculant from Corynebacterium Glutamicum

The effect of pH of the fermentation medium on cell growth and the production of a novel bioflocculant(named REA-11) by Corynebacterium glutamicum CCTCC M201005 were investigated. The maximum biomass(2.23 g/L) and flocculating activity(142.2 U/mL) were simultaneously obtained at the 14th hour when the pH value of the culture medium was maintained at 7.0 during the whole fermentation process. The production of REA-11 kept on a trend of increase till the later phase of fermentation process, which resulted in the ultimate flocculating activity of the culture broth to enhance to nearly 100 U/mL at pH 6.0. A two-stage pH control mode was adopted in REA-11 production in which the pH value of the culture medium was controlled at 7.0 during the first 14 h, then decreased to 6. 0 that was maintained until the end of the fermentation process. With the two-stage pH control mode, the maximum flocculating activity reached 178. 8 U/mL which was 30% higher than that obtained under the condition of pH 7.0 and the biomass enhanced about 15%. Compared with the fermentation process without pH control, REA-11 production and cell growth via the two-stage pH control mode increased 80% and 25 %, respectively.     

Chitosan for coagulation/flocculation processes - An eco-friendly approach

Chitosan is a partially deacetylated polymer obtained from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin, a biopolymer extracted from shellfish sources. Chitosan exhibits a variety of physico-chemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications in fields such as cosmetics, biomedical engineering, pharmaceuticals, ophthalmology, biotechnology, agriculture, textiles, oenology, food processing and nutrition. This amino-biopolymer has also received a great deal of attention in the last decades in water treatment processes for the removal of particulate and dissolved contaminants. In particular, the development of chitosan-based materials as useful coagulants and flocculants is an expanding field in the area of water and wastewater treatment. Their coagulation and flocculation properties can be used to remove particulate inorganic or organic suspensions, and also dissolved organic substances. This paper gives an overview of the main results obtained in the treatment of various suspensions and solutions. The effects of the characteristics of the chitosan used and the conditions in solution on the coagulation/flocculation performance are also discussed.     

Production of a bioflocculant by Aspergillus parasiticus and its application in dye removal

Aspergillus parasiticus was found to produce a bioflocculant with high flocculating activity for Kaolin suspension and water-soluble dyes. Results showed that the carbon and nitrogen sources favorable for the production of the bioflocculant were corn starch and peptone, and an optimal condition of 28 °C, initial pH 5–6 and shaking speed of 150 rpm. The highest flocculating efficiency achieved for Kaolin suspension was 98.1%, after 72 h cultivation. The bioflocculant was mainly composed of sugar (76.3%) and protein (21.6%), and an average molecular weight of 3.2 × 10⁵ Da. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra showed that amino, amide and hydroxyl groups were present in the bioflocculant molecules. The bioflocculant was effective in flocculating some soluble anionic dyes in aqueous solution, in particular Reactive Blue 4 and Acid Yellow 25 with a decolorization efficiency of 92.4 and 92.9%, respectively. The decolorization efficiency was dependent on the flocculant dosage and solution pH. XPS result shows that the amine groups in the bioflocculant were protonated at pH 5, and thus the positive bioflocculant was attracted to the negatively charged dye molecules. The amino and amide groups in the bioflocculant molecule are believed to play an important role in flocculation from the viewpoint of electrostatic interaction.