Evaluation of the Combined Process of Coagulation/Flocculation and Microfiltration of Cassava Starch Wastewater: Removal Efficiency and Membrane Fouling

dos Santos, Jordana Dorca; Veit, Márcia Teresinha; Palácio, Soraya Moreno; da Cunha Gonçalves, Gilberto; Fagundes-Klen, Márcia Regina

Evaluation of the Combined Process of Coagulation/Flocculation and Microfiltration of Cassava Starch Wastewater: Removal Efficiency and Membrane Fouling

2017

dos Santos, Jordana Dorca | Veit, Márcia Teresinha | Palácio, Soraya Moreno | da Cunha Gonçalves, Gilberto | Fagundes-Klen, Márcia Regina

In this study, cassava starch wastewater was subjected to coagulation/flocculation (C/F) combined with microfiltration (MF) to improve the final quality of treated water. In the C/F tests of the effluent, the best concentration of the natural coagulant (Tanfloc POP) was determined from a statistical analysis of color removal and turbidity data. The supernatant produced in the C/F step was subjected to MF while varying the transmembrane pressure to evaluate the permeate fluxes, fouling mechanism, and permeate quality. The mathematical model that best represented the filtration process was the fouling mechanism of partial membrane pore blockage. The best experimental conditions for coagulant dosage, settling time, and MF pressure in the combined C/F-MF process were 320 mg L⁻¹, 15 min, and 1.4 bar, respectively. The highest overall removal efficiency rates achieved were 99% color, 91% cyanide, 75% total organic carbon, and 100% turbidity, demonstrating the promising potential of the combined C/F-MF process in the treatment of cassava starch wastewater.

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