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Production of a bioflocculant from Aspergillus niger using palm oil mill effluent as carbon source

Ahmad H Rajab Aljuboori1, Yoshimitsu Uemura1, Noridah Binti Osman1

  • 1Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research (CBBR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Bioresource Technology
|September 6, 2014
PubMed

Insights

This study explored bioflocculant production using Aspergillus niger and palm oil mill effluent. The resulting bioflocculant, PM-5, effectively removed turbidity and colloids from river water.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a significant industrial wastewater.
  • Microbial bioflocculants offer a sustainable alternative to chemical flocculants for water treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the production of a novel bioflocculant (PM-5) from Aspergillus niger using POME as a carbon source.
  • To characterize the bioflocculant and evaluate its efficacy in treating river water.

Main Methods:

  • Cultivation of Aspergillus niger with POME as the sole carbon source.
  • Optimization of culture conditions, including nitrogen source (glutamic acid), pH (6), and temperature (35 °C).
  • Purification and chemical composition analysis (carbohydrate and protein content) of the bioflocculant PM-5.
  • Assessment of PM-5's flocculating activity on kaolin suspension and turbidity removal from river water in the presence of Ca(2+) ions.

Main Results:

  • A bioflocculant, PM-5, was successfully produced by Aspergillus niger.
  • Optimal production occurred with glutamic acid as the nitrogen source at pH 6 and 35 °C.
  • PM-5 achieved a flocculating rate of 76.8% for kaolin suspension after 60 hours.
  • Purified PM-5 comprised 66.8% carbohydrate and 31.4% protein.
  • PM-5 demonstrated significant potential for treating river water, removing 63% of turbidity and colloids in the presence of Ca(2+) ions.

Conclusions:

  • Aspergillus niger can efficiently produce bioflocculant PM-5 using POME.
  • PM-5 exhibits excellent flocculating properties and is effective in reducing river water turbidity.
  • This bioflocculant shows promise as an eco-friendly agent for water purification.
Keywords:
Aspergillus nigerBioflocculantExtracellular biopolymeric substanceMicrobial flocculantPalm oil mill effluent

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