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Octopus-like biomass-based flocculant for broad-spectrum water purification
Wei Wu1, Chunli Li1, Junjie Qi1
1National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, PR China.
Water Research
|June 8, 2025
Summary
An innovative octopus-like biomass-based flocculant (OBF) efficiently removes diverse water contaminants in one step. This sustainable solution offers high removal efficiencies, reducing treatment costs and improving water quality.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Flocculation is key to water purification, impacting efficiency and cost.
- Conventional flocculants struggle with dissolved organic compounds and emerging contaminants.
- This necessitates advanced solutions for comprehensive water treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an innovative octopus-like biomass-based flocculant (OBF) for broad-spectrum contaminant removal.
- To investigate the OBF's structure-function relationship for enhanced water purification.
- To evaluate OBF's performance against conventional flocculants in practical water treatment scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Graft polymer synthesis utilizing lignin and cationic branches.
- Characterization of OBF's interfacial interactions (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, π-π, electrostatic).
- Performance evaluation in removing humic acid, kaolin, microplastics, bacteria, and microalgae.
Main Results:
- OBF achieved >90% removal for humic acid, kaolin, microplastics, and bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus).
- Microalgae harvesting efficiency reached 98.8% with OBF.
- OBF reduced lake water turbidity to 0.75 NTU and municipal wastewater COD by 85.2%.
Conclusions:
- OBF demonstrates superior performance in removing diverse contaminants compared to conventional flocculants.
- The unique structure of OBF enables efficient, one-step water purification.
- OBF presents a scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable solution for advanced water treatment.
