Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Using Guar Gum Powder as A Natural Polyelectrolyte

Natural materials like guar gum are being investigated as possible substitutes for traditional treatment techniques due to the growing need for efficient and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment solutions. Because it is inexpensive, plentiful, and non-toxic, guar gum—a biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide—has drawn interest for use in wastewater treatment. It is extracted from the seeds of the Cyamopsis tetragonolobus plant. (L. Saya et al.,2021; S. Mandal et al.,2022) Materials based on guar gum have been thoroughly investigated for their capacity to eliminate heavy metal ions and dyes from wastewater. Because of its hydroxyl group-rich structure, the polymer may be functionalized in a variety of ways, which improves its adsorption properties. Studies have demonstrated the potential of guar gum-based nanocomposites for real-time wastewater treatment applications, as well as its promise in the adsorption and photo-catalytic destruction of contaminants. (S. Mandal et al.,2022) Guar gum in a variety of forms, including hydrogels and nanocomposites, has been shown in studies to effectively separate water from oil and eliminate heavy metals like cadmium and lead from tainted water sources (Lei Dai et al.,2017; S. Mukherjee et al.,2018) Guar gum-based composites' adsorption properties and multifunctionality are further improved by the addition of other components, such as magnetic nanoparticles and activated carbon, opening up potential in intricate wastewater treatment procedures (V. Gupta et al.,2020)

MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY:

MATERIALS:

1. Guar Gum Powder
2. Synthetic polyelectrolyte
3. Moringa Oleifera Seeds Powder
4. Chick Pea Seed Powder
5. Bentonite Clay
6. Alum
7. Lime

(b)

(a) Reagents and wastewater (Raw ETP)

2. Guar Gum, Moringa Oleifera Seeds, Chickpea Seeds solutions   

METHODS:

• Preparation of reagents
• Wastewater treatment procedures

• Laboratory analysis:

1. pH:

Principle: Using a pH meter, the electromotive force (emf) of a cell that consists of an indicator electrode (an electrode that responds to hydrogen ions, like a glass electrode) submerged in the test solution and a reference electrode (typically a calomel electrode) is measured. Contact is made via a liquid junction that is a component of the reference electrode.

Source: APHA (2017). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 23rd ed. American Public Health Association.

2. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

Principle:

A water sample's chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a measurement of how much oxygen is needed to decompose organic materials. A powerful oxidizing agent, such potassium dichromate, is used to oxidize the organic matter in the water sample. The excess oxidizing agent is then titrated with a reducing agent, like ferrous ammonium sulfate, as part of the titration procedure for measuring COD.

Procedure:

• Collect sample of water and store it in a dark and cold place.
• Get the reagents using the APHA method to prepare the potassium dichromate, sulfuric acid, and silver sulfate reagents.
• Fill the Cod vials with the above reagents K₂CR₂O₇, H₂SO₄, AgSO₄
• Then fill the COD vial with specified volume o the water sample (2-5 ml) and keep it in the Cod digestor to heat for 2hrs.
• After 2hrs, allow the sample to cool, then dilute the sample by adding distilled water.
• Now, titrate the sample using Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate (FAS) as a titrant and Ferroin as the indicator.
• The color changes from green blue to wine red.

Calculation:
V1-V2×N×8000Sample Volume

Source: (IS 3025 Part 33)

3. Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

Principle:

The Total Suspended Solids (TSS) test quantifies the quantity of non-dissolved particle matter suspended in water. It works on the filtration principle, in which a pre-weighed filter paper is used to filter a known volume of water sample, and the mass of the particles retained on the filter is measured. The outcome is usually expressed as the mass of suspended particles per volume of water, or mg/L.

Procedure:

• prepare the filter paper by drying it in the oven for an hr. at 103 to 105°C.
• use a Desiccator to cool the filter paper then weigh the filter paper and mark the reading as W1
• now using Vacuum Filtration equipment filter a specified volume (i.e. 50 ml) of the water sample through the pre-weighed filter paper.
• Now, dry the filter paper for 1 hr. in the hot air oven at 103 – 105°C.
• After drying cool the filter paper in desiccator and then weigh the filter paper and mark the reading as W2.

Calculation:       
TSS (mg/l)=W2-W1×106Sample Volume

Source: (APHA Method 2540 D)

RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

1. 1. Comparative Study on The Flocculation Efficiency of Guar Gum Powder To Reduce Suspended Solids

The above graph shows that guar gum has the potential to be a used as a natural flocculant in lowering suspended particles in a variety of sectors. Guar Gum and Alum together produced the greatest reduction, especially in the pharmaceutical formulation sector (from 506.8 to 10.8) and the agricultural processing sector (from 288.2 to 141). In contrast to synthetic polyelectrolytes, the combination of Guar Gum and Moringa Seed Powder (MSP) was the most successful in the food manufacturing sector, lowering solids from 80 to 24.6. In the dye business, guar gum by itself performed mediocrely, and adding MSP had a lower impact than other treatments. Guar gum has high flocculation effectiveness overall, particularly when paired with environmentally friendly coagulants, making it a biodegradable and sustainable substitute for synthetic alternatives.

1. 1. Comparative Study on The Flocculation Efficiency of Guar Gum Powder to Reduce The Chemical Oxygen Demand (Cod)

According to the graph Guar Gum (G.G.) is a natural coagulant that effectively lowers Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in a variety of industrial effluents. Although it was less successful than synthetic polyelectrolytes (P.E.), guar gum and alum dramatically decreased COD in the pharmaceutical formulation business from 1580 to 115.2. Guar Gum with Alum decreased COD from 3094 to 787.8 in the dyes sector, demonstrating performance equivalent to P.E. and proving its dependability in handling high-strength effluents. The G.G. + Alum combination outperformed P.E. (378) and other natural coagulant blends such as G.G. + Moringa Seed Powder (470.4) and G.G. + Chickpea Seed Solution (386.4) in the agriculture processing business, demonstrating improved results once more (reduced COD to 327.6).

Figure: 2 Beakers Containing Sample (Raw ETP) and treated Sample with Guar Gum Solution

Figure 3: Jar Test Beakers of Treated Wastewater with Guar Gum and Different Coagulants After One Hour