Evaluación de polisacáridos en floculación mediada por complejo polielectrolítico

Abstract

Water is an increasingly valuable resource because its availability, primarily it is limited to precipitation and water storage; for that reason, increasing population density and climate change can interfere with water accessibility. Urban and industrial activities can produce wastewater and pollute waterbodies that could represent a significant water source; however, it needs to be treated prior to its use.  Flocculation is an important pollutants removal method to reduce a variety of organic and inorganic molecules from wastewater, using the flocculant’s intrinsic charges to stabilize/precipitate them, by different methods, one of them being via polyelectrolyte complex. Flocculant versatility depends on its capacity to remove pollutants and there are commercial flocculants with remarkable efficiencies. However, their toxicity can limit their use in waterbodies or for former human use. Research shows that polysaccharides are great option as flocculants because of their easily charged conformation and high molecular weight to neutralize pollutants and precipitate flocs, they are biocompatible, biodegradable, and easy to modify to modulate the flocculant interaction due to the functional group’s high density. This review explores the latest research on polysaccharide polyelectrolyte flocculation and derivatives and their pollutant removal capacity, the polysaccharides evaluated were the most commonly researched such as chitosan, cellulose, chitin, alginate, gums, dextran, among others. Recent research tendencies on these polysaccharides flocculation capacity, showed promising results (up to 99% removal efficiencies) with a wide variety of contaminants, making them excellent candidates for their application in green flocculation.