Effect of a natural coagulant extract from Opuntia ficus-indica cladode on electrocoagulation- electroflotation water treatment process

Abstract

Opuntia fcus-indica: (OFI) cladode mucilage was extracted using conventional extraction (CE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), to test its efect on the efciency of electrocoagulation- electrofotation (EC-EF) water treatment process. The mucilage was identifed by biochemical assays, by scanning electron micro- scope analysis (SEM), and by Attenuated total refectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that the UAE enhanced mucilage extraction yield. At 10 min of extrac- tion time, the extraction yield attained 60.77 ± 1.07% at 60% of the amplitude sonication, while CE allows only 36.71 ± 1.07% after 60 min at 80 ⁰C. EC-EF mucilage-assisted process enhanced turbid- ity removal efciency by 30% at 15 min of treatment time. Mucilage identifcation showed a bio-material, of a polysaccharide nature, with several functional groups through SEM, biochemical essays and ATR-FTIR, respectively. The addition of 5 mg/L OFI mucilage to EC-EF allowed 89.47% of EC-EF efciency at 25 min