Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
Study Program of Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Kampus C UNAIR, Jalan Mulyorejo, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 12;17(24):9312. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249312.
The utilization of metal-based conventional coagulants/flocculants to remove suspended solids from drinking water and wastewater is currently leading to new concerns. Alarming issues related to the prolonged effects on human health and further pollution to aquatic environments from the generated nonbiodegradable sludge are becoming trending topics. The utilization of biocoagulants/bioflocculants does not produce chemical residue in the effluent and creates nonharmful, biodegradable sludge. The conventional coagulation-flocculation processes in drinking water and wastewater treatment, including the health and environmental issues related to the utilization of metal-based coagulants/flocculants during the processes, are discussed in this paper. As a counterpoint, the development of biocoagulants/bioflocculants for drinking water and wastewater treatment is intensively reviewed. The characterization, origin, potential sources, and application of this green technology are critically reviewed. This review paper also provides a thorough discussion on the challenges and opportunities regarding the further utilization and application of biocoagulants/bioflocculants in water and wastewater treatment, including the importance of the selection of raw materials, the simplification of extraction processes, the application to different water and wastewater characteristics, the scaling up of this technology to a real industrial scale, and also the potential for sludge recovery by utilizing biocoagulants/bioflocculants in water/wastewater treatment.
目前，从饮用水和废水中去除悬浮物时使用基于金属的传统混凝剂/絮凝剂会带来新的问题。人们越来越关注由此产生的不可生物降解的污泥对人类健康的长期影响以及对水生环境的进一步污染。生物混凝剂/絮凝剂的使用不会在废水中产生化学残留，而且生成无害的、可生物降解的污泥。本文讨论了饮用水和废水处理中的传统混凝-絮凝工艺，包括在该过程中使用基于金属的混凝剂/絮凝剂所涉及的健康和环境问题。作为对比，本文还深入综述了生物混凝剂/絮凝剂在饮用水和废水处理中的发展。本文还重点讨论了这种绿色技术的特性、来源、潜在来源和应用。本文还深入讨论了在饮用水和废水处理中进一步利用和应用生物混凝剂/絮凝剂所面临的挑战和机遇，包括原材料选择的重要性、提取工艺的简化、针对不同水质和废水特性的应用、该技术向实际工业规模扩展的可能性，以及在水/废水处理中利用生物混凝剂/絮凝剂回收污泥的可能性。
