Hydrology

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Production of bioflocculant from marine bacteria and its application in the treatment of coal wash plant fines
(University of Zululand, 2015) Dafel, Jade; Simonis, J.J.; Basson, A.K.
A total of 33 water and sediment samples were randomly selected from the marine environment on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Strains were isolated and screened for their potential to secrete bioflocculants and tested for flocculating activity with a kaolin suspension. The strains that produced bioflocculants with a high yield of flocculating activity (above 60%) were selected for optimisation and further flocculating tests using coal mine slurry. One strain with good flocculating abilities for both a kaolin suspension and coal mine slurry (74% and 76% respectively) was analysed using its 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence and was identified as Bacillus cereus. The bioflocculant bacterium was optimal when glucose (40g/l) and urea, as the carbon and nitrogen sources, a pH of 4 and Ca2+ as the cation were utilized. The exceptional flocculating performance of Bacillus cereus demonstrated good potential for replacing the chemical flocculants that are currently used in flocculating coal mine slurry generated at Tendele Coal Mine (TCM) located in KZN.