Resumen

OLIVERO VERBEL, Rafael Enrique; MERCADO MARTINEZ, Iván Darío  y  MONTES GAZABON, Luz Elena. Removing turbidity from Magdalena river by the use of opuntia ficus-indica cactus mucilage. Rev. P+L [online]. 2013, vol.8, n.1, pp.19-27. ISSN 1909-0455.

Abstract Introduction. Aluminum sulphate is one of the most common chemical coagulants used to clarify water. It is, nevertheless, considered as a threat for human health. This has motivated the study of natural coagulants obtained from plants, such as the Opuntia ficus-indica cactus mucilage, as an alternative to replace or mitigate the use of aluminum sulphate. Objective. Removing turbidity from Magdalena river waters, by the use of the Opuntia ficus-indica cactus mucilage. Materials and methods. A 2^K randomized factorial experimental design was used, in which K are the factors evaluated: kind of coagulant, (Opuntia and alum), its agitation speed (100 and 200 rpm) and its concentration (35 and 40 mg/L). The clarification process was performed by the use of the jar test, using samples of water taken from the Magdalena river in Gambota, Bolívar province, Colombia. A turbidimeter was used to determine turbidity (UNT), a pH meter to measure pH and a conductometer to establish the conductivity values (µS/cm) and total of dissolved solids (mg/L) contained in the water analyzed. Results. The statistical analysis (ANOVA) demonstrated that the coagulant had an incidence in the water clarification process, but the agitation speed and the concentration did not. The highest degree of turbidity removal was achieved with the use of alum (99,80%);and the removal with Opuntia achieved the lowest one (93,25%). Conclusion. The Opuntia ficus-indica cactus mucilage removes turbidity from Magdalena river´s water.

Palabras clave : Turbidity; coagulation; flocculation; Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage.

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