Using a novel bio-based cationic flocculant for food industry wastewater treatment

Wastewater from the food industry is considered harmful to human health and aquatic life, as well as polluting water and soil. This research is centered around finding an affordable and easy physicochemical method for dealing with waste generated by the food industry. To accomplish this goal, a new bio-based flocculant called 4-benzyl-4-(2-oleamidoethylamino-2-oxoethyl) morpholin-4-ium chloride was created using sustainable sources, specifically crude olive pomace oil. Its chemical structure was confirmed using various spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, ¹H-NMR, mass spectra, and ¹³C-NMR. This new bio-based cationic flocculant was combined with alum to act as a coagulant in the waste treatment process. Also, a study was conducted to determine the optimal conditions for the coagulation-flocculation process parameters, namely, pH and alum dosage, on COD and removal efficiency. The results showed that the optimal conditions for flocculation were achieved at pH 5.8, with 680 mg/L alum and 10 mg/L of commercial flocculant dose compared to only 5 mg/L of a new bio-based cationic flocculant. A comparison was made between the new bio-cationic flocculant and a commercial CTAB one for treating wastewater in the food industry. The study found that the new bio-based cationic flocculant was more effective in reducing the chemical oxygen demand, achieving a reduction of 61.3% compared to 54.6% for using a commercial cationic flocculant. Furthermore, using a new bio-based cationic flocculant costs only 0.49 $/g, which is less than the present cationic flocculant, which costs 0.93 $/g. The adoption of this new flocculant provides a sustainable alternative to existing industrial wastewater treatment processes.