Bioflocculants Produced by Bacterial Strains Isolated from Palm Oil Mill Effluent for Application in the Removal of Eriochrome Black T Dye from Water

oleh: Syed Zaghum Abbas, Yang-Chun Yong, Moonis Ali Khan, Masoom Raza Siddiqui, Afnan Ali Hussain Hakami, Shareefa Ahmed Alshareef, Marta Otero, Mohd Rafatullah

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-07-01

Deskripsi

Four strains of bioflocculant-producing bacteria were isolated from a palm oil mill effluent (POME). The four bacterial strains were identified as <i>Pseudomonas alcaliphila</i> (B1), <i>Pseudomonas oleovorans</i> (B2), <i>Pseudomonas chengduensis</i> (B3), and <i>Bacillus nitratireducens</i> (B4) by molecular identification. Among the four bacterial strains, <i>Bacillus nitratireducens</i> (B4) achieved the highest flocculating activity (49.15%) towards kaolin clay suspension after eight hours of cultivation time and was selected for further studies. The optimum conditions for Eriochrome Black T (EBT) flocculation regarding initial pH, type of cation, and B4 dosage were determined to be pH 2, Ca<sup>2</sup>⁺ cations, and a dosage of 250 mL/L of nutrient broth containing B4. Under these conditions, above 90% of EBT dye removal was attained. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) analysis of the bioflocculant revealed the presence of hydroxyl, alkyl, carboxyl, and amino groups. This bioflocculant was demonstrated to possess a good flocculating activity, being a promissory, low-cost, harmless, and environmentally friendly alternative for the treatment of effluents contaminated with dyes.