A preocupação com a exploração desenfreada dos recursos naturais tem aumentado nas últimas décadas, principalmente envolvendo a água e seu tratamento. Paradoxalmente, uma das fontes de poluição da água é justamente o seu tratamento, devido ao uso de floculantes químicos, que acabam gerando lodos que podem ser altamente agressivos ao meio ambiente. Uma das formas de resolver este problema é utilizar floculantes naturais para esta finalidade, uma vez que são biodegradáveis e não agridem a natureza. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de um floculante natural produzido com taninos extraídos da casca do cajueiro (Anacardium occidentale) e compará-lo com dois coagulantes comerciais, Tanfloc® e cloreto de ferro. A água para tratamento foi coletada de um açude. A casca do cajueiro foi coletada, moída e submetida à extração em água quente para obtenção dos taninos, e o produto da extração foi cationizado. Os testes de floculação foram realizados utilizando-se o jar test com soluções nas concentrações de 33,3, 66,7 e 100 mg L-1. A turbidez e o pH foram analisados antes e após a floculação. Dentre os floculantes avaliados, os taninos cationizados produziram as melhores respostas tanto para remoção de turbidez quanto para pH final da água tratada. O Tanfloc® também apresentou resultados satisfatórios quanto à remoção de turbidez. O cloreto de ferro, além de não clarificar adequadamente a água, a deixou muito ácida. Como os taninos cationizados praticamente não alteraram o pH e foram eficazes na remoção da turbidez, consistem em um produto interessante para o tratamento da água.
Palavras-chave: floculante natural; remoção de turbidez; taninos cationizados; tratamento de água
Concern about the overexploitation of natural resources has increased in recent decades, especially involving water and its treatment. Paradoxically, one of the sources of water pollution is the treatment itself, due to the use of chemical flocculants, which end up generating sludge that may be highly aggressive to the environment. One of the ways to solve this problem is to use natural flocculants for this purpose, since they are biodegradable and do not harm nature. This study evaluated the efficiency of a natural flocculant produced from tannins extracted from the bark of the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) and compared it with two commercial coagulants, Tanfloc® and iron chloride. The water for treatment was collected from a weir. The cashew trees’ bark was collected, ground, and submitted to hot-water extraction to yield the tannins, and the extraction product was cationized. The flocculation tests were carried out using the jar test with solutions having concentrations of 33.3, 66.7, and 100 mg L-1. Turbidity and pH were analyzed before and after flocculation. Among the assessed flocculants, the cationized tannins produced the best responses both for removal of turbidity and final pH of the treated water. Tanfloc® also produced satisfactory results regarding turbidity removal. The iron chloride, besides not properly clarifying the water, left it very acidic. Since the cationized tannins practically did not change the pH and were effective in the removal of turbidity, they represent an interesting, sustainable alternative product to treat the water.
Keywords: cationized tannins; natural flocculating agente; removal of turbidity; water treatment
Concern about the overexploitation of natural resources has increased in recent decades, especially involving water and its treatment. Paradoxically, one of the sources of water pollution is the treatment itself, due to the use of chemical flocculants, which end up generating sludge that may be highly aggressive to the environment. One of the ways to solve this problem is to use natural flocculants for this purpose, since they are biodegradable and do not harm nature. This study evaluated the efficiency of a natural flocculant produced from tannins extracted from the bark of the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) and compared it with two commercial coagulants, Tanfloc® and iron chloride. The water for treatment was collected from a weir. The cashew trees’ bark was collected, ground, and submitted to hot-water extraction to yield the tannins, and the extraction product was cationized. The flocculation tests were carried out using the jar test with solutions having concentrations of 33.3, 66.7, and 100 mg L-1. Turbidity and pH were analyzed before and after flocculation. Among the assessed flocculants, the cationized tannins produced the best responses both for removal of turbidity and final pH of the treated water. Tanfloc® also produced satisfactory results regarding turbidity removal. The iron chloride, besides not properly clarifying the water, left it very acidic. Since the cationized tannins practically did not change the pH and were effective in the removal of turbidity, they represent an interesting, sustainable alternative product to treat the water.
Keywords: cationized tannins; natural flocculating agente; removal of turbidity; water treatment
