Characteristics of a bioflocculant produced by a consortium of Cobetia and Bacillus species and its application in the treatment of wastewaters

Abstract

The characteristics of a bioflocculant produced by a consortium of 2 bacteria belonging to the genera Cobetia and Bacillus was investigated. The extracellular bioflocculant was composed of 66% uronic acid and 31% protein and showed an optimum flocculation (90% flocculating activity) of kaolin suspension at a dosage of 0.8 mg/m., pH of 8, and with Ca²⁺ as a coagulant aid. The bioflocculant is thermally stable, with a high residual flocculating activity of 86.7%, 89.3% and 87% after heating at 50^oC, 80^oC

Keywords: Extracellular, bioflocculant, consortium, characteristic, Cobetia sp., Bacillus sp.