Use of a New Bio-flocculent Extracted from Moroccan Cactus in the Treatment of Polyphenol-laden Waste by the Flocculation Coagulation Process

Olive cultivation is currently the subject of great exposure (Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fishing, 2015), and as a consequence of the implementation of the national olive cultivation development programme, an area of 1,220,000 ha (+ 120%) and a total olive production of 2,500,000 tonnes/year (+ 70%) are among the objectives of the Green Morocco Plan by 2020. The olive sector has experienced a very important movement in the context of the 2017-2018 campaign, which Morocco should record a volume never reached before, with a production record estimated at 1.56 million tons, the production of this campaign shows an increase of 47.8% compared to the previous season. In this work, we determined the efficiency of a new biodegradable natural flocculant extracted from the prickly pear Opuntia ficus indica in a physico-chemical process by coagulation-flocculation, to treat liquid discharges loaded with organic matter and phenols difficult to degrade. The tests were carried out on six well-preserved samples subjected to increasing concentrations of coagulant and flocculant after adjustment of the pH. The results obtained are very encouraging for this type of physico-chemical treatment and work is still in progress until there is a significant improvement in the rate of abatement of the pollutant load

Cactus and Holm Oak Acorn for Efficient Textile Wastewater Treatment by Coagulation-Flocculation Process Optimization Using Box-Benhken Design

In this study, the effectiveness of using natural bio-coagulants and bio-flocculants to treat textile wastewater through the coagulation-flocculation method was examined. These bio-based agents have several advantages over chemical agents, including biodegradability, natural abundance, low toxicity, and low cost. A bio-coagulant (holm oak acorn (HOA)) and a bio-flocculant (cactus juice) were used to investigate the capacity for turbidity removal and decolorization of textile wastewater. The UV spectrophotometer was used to characterize the discharges before and after treatment, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) levels were calculated. Box-Behnken design (BBD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized to optimize the process and reduce turbidity and decolorization in textile wastewater. The obtained results show that under the optimal conditions (0.5 g•L-1 of HOA, 15 mL•L-1 of cactus juice, and a pH of 7), decolorization and turbidity removal were achieved at 69% and 90%, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of using bio-coagulants and bio-flocculants in the treatment of textile wastewater

Acid assisted-hydrothermal carbonization of solid waste from essential oils industry: Optimization using I-optimal experimental design and removal dye application

Solid waste (SW) generated from extracting of essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) is an abundant and renewable resource, but proper recycling is necessary to prevent negative environmental impacts from improper disposal. This study focused on converting SW from essential oil (EO) extraction industry by citric acid-catalyzed hydrothermal carbonization (c-HTC) coupled with chemical activation into a carbonaceous material to remove organic pollutants. For this purpose, an I-optimal design coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was developed to investigate the relationship between the severity factor (SF) of the c-HTC process and citric acid dose (HTCcat) on carbon retention rate (CRR) and hydrochar mass yield (MY). Under optimal conditions (5.32 and 2 g for SF and HTCcat, respectively), an optimized hydrochar (HCop) was characterized by a CRR and MY of 71.02% and 56.14%, respectively. HCop was chemically activated by KOH solution (AHCop) and characterized by a specific surface area of 989.81 m2.g−1, a pore volume of 0.583 cm3.g−1, a higher heating value (HHV) of 37.3 MJ/Kg, oxygenated surface functions such as –OH, –COOH, C-O and a methylene blue (MB) removal rate of 90.71%. In addition, modelling of the adsorption isotherms found that the Freundlich isotherm better describes the experimental data, and the second-order model regulates the adsorption kinetics well. Furthermore, The maximum adsorption capacity of AHCop was 588.24 mg.g−1, with a separation factor of 0.625 under the operating conditions (t = 6 h, T = 25 °C, m(AHCop) = 0.2 g, [MB]0 = 300 mg.L-1, and pH = 7), indicating its potential for effectively removing organic pollutants. Together, these results provide crucial information on using c-HTC to convert waste biomass into functional carbon materials to remove organic pollutants efficiently. Therefore, several studies must be conducted out to discover other application fields of this material

Comparative Study on the Total Phenolics, Total Flavonoids, and Biological Activities of <i>Papaver rhoeas</i> L. Extracts from Different Geographical Regions of Morocco

In this research, a comparative analysis was carried out to characterize the content of phenolics and biological activities of the whole plant of Papaver rhoeas L. (P. rhoeas) from different geographical regions of Morocco, as well as to determine the synergistic antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of all parts of P. rhoeas. The determination of total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total anthocyanin content (TA) in extracts of whole plants of P. rhoeas from three different geographical regions: Taounate (P1E), Fez (P2E), and Sefrou (P3E) were estimated by the Folin–Ciocalteu reaction, the aluminum trichloride method and the differential pH absorption technique, respectively. Two tests were used to evaluate the antioxidant power of our samples: the DPPH test and the TAC test. Using two methods, disk diffusion and microdilution, antimicrobial activity was studied against four pathogenic bacteria and one yeast. The results of TPC, TFC, and TA show that the P3E sample is the richest in polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, with values 37.33 ± 1.307 mg GAE/g, 4.72 ± 0.346 QE/g, and 1.77 ± 0.026 CGE/g, respectively. In addition, P3E showed the best antioxidant activity with an IC50 = 0.27 ± 0.001 mg/mL and TAC = 9.99 ± 0.768 mg AAE/g, respectively. The results of antimicrobial activity showed significant activity on almost all the tested strains. The lowest MIC was recorded for P3E against E. coli ATCC 25922 and E. coli CIP 53126 strains at 0.78 and 0.78 mg/mL, respectively. These results show that the geographical region can influence the plant’s phytochemistry and then these biological activities

Decolorization and Degradation of Methyl Orange Azo Dye in Aqueous Solution by the Electro Fenton Process: Application of Optimization

In a batch reactor, the EF advanced oxidation decolorization of aqueous solutions of methyl orange MO, a commercial azo reactive textile dye, was investigated in the presence of two different electrodes. The evaluation included various operational variables such as the IC current intensity (60 mA, 80 mA, and 100 mA), initial concentration of pollutant MO (20 mg/L, 40 mg/L, and 60 mg/L), initial pH of solution (3, 5, and 7), temperature of solution (20 &deg;C, 30 &deg;C, and 50 &deg;C), and initial concentration of catalyst [Fe2+] (0.1 mM, 0.2 mM, and 0.3 mM) on the discoloration rate. A Box-Behnken Design of Experiment (BBD) was used to optimize the parameters that directly affect the Electro-Fenton (EF) process. Under the optimal experimental conditions such as [Fe2+] = 0.232 mM, pH = 3, IC = 80 mA, [MO] = 60 mg/L, and T = 30 &plusmn; 0.1 &deg;C, the maximum discoloration rate achieved was 94.9%. The discoloration of the aqueous MO solution during the treatment time was confirmed by analysis of the UV-visible spectrum. After a review of the literature on organic pollutant degradation, the EF system provided here is shown to be one of the best in terms of discoloration rate when compared to other AOPs

Decolorization and Degradation of Methyl Orange Azo Dye in Aqueous Solution by the Electro Fenton Process: Application of Optimization

In a batch reactor, the EF advanced oxidation decolorization of aqueous solutions of methyl orange MO, a commercial azo reactive textile dye, was investigated in the presence of two different electrodes. The evaluation included various operational variables such as the IC current intensity (60 mA, 80 mA, and 100 mA), initial concentration of pollutant MO (20 mg/L, 40 mg/L, and 60 mg/L), initial pH of solution (3, 5, and 7), temperature of solution (20 °C, 30 °C, and 50 °C), and initial concentration of catalyst [Fe2+] (0.1 mM, 0.2 mM, and 0.3 mM) on the discoloration rate. A Box-Behnken Design of Experiment (BBD) was used to optimize the parameters that directly affect the Electro-Fenton (EF) process. Under the optimal experimental conditions such as [Fe2+] = 0.232 mM, pH = 3, IC = 80 mA, [MO] = 60 mg/L, and T = 30 ± 0.1 °C, the maximum discoloration rate achieved was 94.9%. The discoloration of the aqueous MO solution during the treatment time was confirmed by analysis of the UV-visible spectrum. After a review of the literature on organic pollutant degradation, the EF system provided here is shown to be one of the best in terms of discoloration rate when compared to other AOPs

Nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbocatalyst for efficient organic pollutant removal through persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes

Carbocatalysts doped with heteroatoms such as nitrogen or sulphur have been reported to be useful in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes for organic pollutant removal. However, there is limited research on the effect of doping with phosphorus atoms on degradation performance. In this work, a new nitrogen and phosphorus-doped carbocatalyst (N, P-HC) was designed using hydrothermal carbonization followed by pyrolysis at 700 °C, with olive pomace as a carbon source, to degrade organic pollutants in the presence of peroxydisulfate (PDS). Experimental results showed that N, P-HC, with its large specific surface area (871.73 m2.g−1), high content of N-pyridinic and N-pyrrolic groups, and the presence of P-O-C and O-P-C bonds, exhibited high degradation performance (98% degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in 40 min, with an apparent rate constant (kapp) of 0.055 min−1 and an excellent turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.275 min−1). Quenching study and EPR analysis revealed that singlet oxygen generation (1O2) and direct electron transfer were the main reaction pathways for the non-radical pathway in the degradation of RhB. The improved catalytic efficiency in the N, P-HC/PDS/RhB system can be attributed to the synergistic effect between N and P atoms in the graphitic structure of the carbocatalyst, its high surface area, and the presence of oxygenated functional groups on the surface of the N, P-HC. The used N, P-HC carbocatalyst can also be efficiently recovered by heat treatment at 500 °C. Overall, this study presents a simple and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing a high-performance N, P co-doped olive pomace-based carbocatalyst for water decontamination through PS-AOPs processes

A Continuous Fixed Bed Adsorption Process for Fez City Urban Wastewater Using Almond Shell Powder: Experimental and Optimization Study

This study deals with the valorization of a biomaterial, almond shell, for the treatment of urban effluents of the city of Fez by a fixed bed column adsorption process. A parametric analysis of the process is carried out with conditions such as particle size, pH and height of the adsorbent bed to evaluate the optimal removal percent and obtain an optimal removal capacity of the adsorbent load. Characterization of the adsorbent prior to continuous adsorption was carried out by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The adsorption treatment seems to be influenced by certain parameters, such as the particle size of the biomaterial used, the height of the adsorption bed and the pH. The results suggest that this biomaterial can be used as a less expensive, available, biodegradable and very effective adsorbent to eliminate the load of urban waters on a small scale and why not on a large scale to replace chemicals in the treatment and to recover waste such as almond shell. The parameters measured reached maximum values varying between 82% for COD, 79% for EC and 71% for nitrite under well-defined operating conditions, with a particle size of 0.063 mm, a height column height of 7 cm and a pH of 6.5

A Continuous Fixed Bed Adsorption Process for Fez City Urban Wastewater Using Almond Shell Powder: Experimental and Optimization Study

This study deals with the valorization of a biomaterial, almond shell, for the treatment of urban effluents of the city of Fez by a fixed bed column adsorption process. A parametric analysis of the process is carried out with conditions such as particle size, pH and height of the adsorbent bed to evaluate the optimal removal percent and obtain an optimal removal capacity of the adsorbent load. Characterization of the adsorbent prior to continuous adsorption was carried out by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. The adsorption treatment seems to be influenced by certain parameters, such as the particle size of the biomaterial used, the height of the adsorption bed and the pH. The results suggest that this biomaterial can be used as a less expensive, available, biodegradable and very effective adsorbent to eliminate the load of urban waters on a small scale and why not on a large scale to replace chemicals in the treatment and to recover waste such as almond shell. The parameters measured reached maximum values varying between 82% for COD, 79% for EC and 71% for nitrite under well-defined operating conditions, with a particle size of 0.063 mm, a height column height of 7 cm and a pH of 6.5