Physicochemical factors affecting flocculating properties of the proteoglycan isolated from Rhodococcus opacus

The water-soluble fraction of proteoglycan R_S-89 isolated from the Rhodococcus opacus FCL89 and composed of 64.6% polysaccharide and 9.44% protein has been studied as regards its flocculating activity. The R_S-89 polysaccharide component includes mannose, galactose and glucose at the molar ratio of 2.7: 1.3: 1. The basic factors affecting flocculating activity of the R_S-89 have been established. Additionally, the kinetics of kaolin sedimentation without and with the bioflocculant was investigated. The presence of divalent metal ions had a positive effect on the flocculating activity of the R_S-89. The addition of Ca²⁺ increased the R_S-89 flocculating activity in comparison to the other studied metals. It was proved that the proteoglycan R_S-89 achieved the highest flocculating activity at the concentration equal to 2 mg/L and in the presence of 10 mmol/L of Ca²⁺. The zeta potential values are less negative when there is an interaction between the kaolin particles and metal ions without the R_S-89 in the tested systems. Therefore, the proposed mechanism to describe the proteoglycan interaction with kaolin particles in the presence of divalent ions includes charge neutralization and a bridging mechanism.