Cactus Cladode Juice as Bioflocculant in the Flocculation-Thickening Process for Phosphate Washing Plant: A Comparative Study with Anionic Polyacrylamide

Amine Ennawaoui, Khadija Lalam, Yasser Harmen, Abdelaziz El Morabit, Younes Chhiti, Ahmed Chebak and Mohammed Benssitel
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Amine Ennawaoui: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Khadija Lalam: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Yasser Harmen: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Abdelaziz El Morabit: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Younes Chhiti: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Ahmed Chebak: Green Tech Institute (GTI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir 43150, Morocco
Mohammed Benssitel: Laboratory of Catalysis and Corrosion of Materials (LCCM), Chemistry Department, Chouaïb Doukkali University, El Jadida 24000, Morocco

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-10

Abstract: In the phosphate industry, the thickening process is vital to increasing the solid slurry concentration and to recovering water that is as clear as possible. The performance of the thickening process depends mainly on the coagulation–flocculation effect. The thickening process is based on flocculant agents to concentrate particles: flotation and washing plant rejects as large flocs, which accelerate their sedimentation velocity. The phosphate industry worldwide uses synthetical flocculants such as polyacrylamides. These flocculants are non-biodegradable, limiting the process efficiency regarding cost and harmful effects on the environment. This study proposes cactus cladodes juice as an eco-friendly alternative to industrial flocculants. The particle size of the phosphate samples ranges from 0 μm to 160 μm, with a solid concentration of 8%. This bioflocculant allowed for an increase in sedimentation velocity of 95% compared with the case without flocculant. The optimal amount of cactus bioflocculant for decanting 1 tonne of phosphate pulp at pH 7–8 is 1.12 kg. Special attention is paid to understanding the flocculation mechanism. The results of the physicochemical characterization show that the flocculant biopolymers have similar characteristics to anionic polyacrylamide. This work indicates the promising application of the cactus juice bioflocculant in phosphate washing plants.

Keywords: thickening process; flocculation process; sedimentation velocity; bioflocculant; phosphates; phosphate washing plant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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