CHROMIUM, ARSEN, AND TURBIDITY REMOVAL USING BIOFLOCCULANT (BOEHMERIA NIVEA) BY DIRECT FLOCCULATION

• Main Author: Fahrul Reza, Muhammad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/76445
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Direct flocculation is a water treatment process that adds flocculants to the coagulation process and without adding other chemicals. Indonesia has biomass potential that has not been processed effectively. One of the plants that has the potential to be developed is Boehmeria nivea, also known as Ramie, which is still not optimally utilized. Ramie stems have cellulose content that can be extracted into biomaterial composites. In this study, it was found that the turbidity removal process using ramie-based Cationic Cellulose Flocculant with a dose of 1 mg/L in the first 5 minutes of precipitation reached 91.37% and reached an optimum of 93.24% during 60 minutes of precipitation. This study can confirm that the turbidity removal efficiency by Cationic Cellulose Flocculant is better than the removal efficiency using conventional coagulant, PAC (poly aluminum chloride). Chromium and Arsenic heavy metals are one of the pollutants studied in this study, this flocculant can reduce the concentration of dissolved metals in water but not with high efficiency with a removal efficiency value of 30% chromium with anionic flocculant dose of 100 mg/L and Arsenic removal efficiency value of 12.8% with anionic flocculant dose of 100 mg/L. This is because the flocculation process cannot remove dissolved metals because flocs are not formed in this treatment. Effective treatment to remove metals can use absorption or ion exchange in the next treatment. Meanwhile, in the pH variation, flocculants can remove with a higher efficiency of 37.57% in pH 11 and arsenic removal efficiency of 40.54% in pH 11. This is because in alkaline conditions dissolved metals form precipitates, so that the formation of flocs and can facilitate the flocculation process.