Production, characterization, and flocculation mechanism of cation independent, pH tolerant, and thermally stable bioflocculant from Enterobacter sp. ETH-2

Synthetic high polymer flocculants, frequently utilized for flocculating efficiency and low cost, recently have been discovered as producing increased risk to human health and the environment. Development of a more efficient and environmentally sound alternative flocculant agent is investigated in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2014-12, Vol.9 (12), p.e114591
Main Authors: Tang, Wei, Song, Liyan, Li, Dou, Qiao, Jing, Zhao, Tiantao, Zhao, Heping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activated clay
Activated sludge
Analysis
Bacillus licheniformis
Bacteria
Biology and Life Sciences
Biopolymers
Cations
Cations - pharmacology
Chromatography, Gas
Chryseobacterium
Clay
Ecological risk assessment
Ecology
Engineering and Technology
Enterobacter
Enterobacter - isolation & purification
Enterobacter - physiology
Flocculants
Flocculation
Flocculation - drug effects
Fourier transforms
Functional groups
Galactose
Galactose - metabolism
Glucose - metabolism
Health aspects
Health risks
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Industrial applications
Kaolin
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Laboratories
Mannose
Mannose - metabolism
Microorganisms
Molecular chains
Molecular weight
Neutralization
pH effects
Phylogeny
Polysaccharides
Saccharides
Sludge
Studies
Temperature
Thermal stability
Water treatment
Zeta potential
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Summary:Synthetic high polymer flocculants, frequently utilized for flocculating efficiency and low cost, recently have been discovered as producing increased risk to human health and the environment. Development of a more efficient and environmentally sound alternative flocculant agent is investigated in this paper. Bioflocculants are produced by microorganisms and may exhibit a high rate of flocculation activity. The bioflocculant ETH-2, with high flocculating activity (2849 mg Kaolin particle/mg ETH-2), produced by strain Enterobacter sp. isolated from activated sludge, was systematically investigated with regard to its production, characterization, and flocculation mechanism. Analyses of microscopic observation, zeta potential and ETH-2 structure demonstrates the bridging mechanism, as opposed to charge neutralization, was responsible for flocculation of the ETH-2. ETH-2 retains high molecular weight (603 to 1820 kDa) and multi-functional groups (hydroxyl, amide and carboxyl) that contributed to flocculation. Polysaccharides mainly composed of mannose, glucose, and galactose, with a molar ratio of 1:2.9:9.8 were identified as the active constituents in bioflocculant. The structure of the long backbone with active sites of polysaccharides was determined as a primary basis for the high flocculation activity. Bioflocculant ETH-2 is cation independent, pH tolerant, and thermally stable, suggesting a potential fit for industrial application.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0114591