Evaluation of solid-state production of mycocoagulant using various lignocellulosic media to reduce water turbidity

• Main Authors: Fellah, M, Alam, Md. Zahangir, Al-Mamun, Abdullah, Kabbashi, Nassereldeen Ahmed, Engliman, Nurul Sakinah
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 2021
• Subjects: TD169 Environmental protection
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/94768/1/94768_Evaluation%20of%20solid-state%20production.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/94768/; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/1192/1/012022/meta

High turbidity and suspended solids (SS) are among the significant issues that affect rivers due to the wastewater discharge, terrain condition, land cover, rainfall, agriculture, and other development activities. Chemical flocculants such as polyacrylamide and aluminum sulfate are widely employed for agro-industrial wastewater treatment. However, excessive use of chemical coagulants is harmful to human beings and the environment. Therefore, efficient and economically viable bio-coagulants from renewable biological sources is highly sought after. Myco-coagulant (My-coag) is an organic coagulant produced by fungi that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This research aimed to evaluate My-coag solid-state production from locally isolated fungal strains using various lignocellulosic media. The fungus was grown on different lignocellulosic substrates such as cocopeat, sawdust, rice bran, and palm kernel cake for 7 days with a pH of 7.0 at 30 oC. My-coag was extracted from the fungal culture using an aqueous buffer solution of pH 7. The fungal growth rate and dry mass were the highest on cocopeat supplement which was about 1.4 g of dry weight. My-coag extracted from the cocopeat showed good flocculating properties in kaolin suspension with the removal of 96.7% turbidity compared to other substrates such as sawdust, palm kernel cake, and rice bran with the removal of 53.7, 19.6, and 11%, respectively. It is expected that further optimization of this process parameters will lead to the efficient removal of turbidity and solids from water and wastewater to move forward in green technology for sustainable growth in the "Clean Water and Sanitation Sector" and protection of the environment too.