Abstract

The Coagulation Performance of Okra Mucilage in an Industrial Effluent by Turbidimetry

Author(s): J. U. Ani, N. J. Nnaji, C. O. B. Okoye and O. D. Onukwuli

The determination of coagulation rate constants was achieved by monitoring changes in the concentration of the coagulating suspension with time. These coagulation rate constants were obtained by turbidimetric studies on fibre-cement industry effluent (FCIE). The gravimetric method of measuring the concentration of suspended particles is tedious and thus not suitable for routine evaluations of coagulation kinetics. The coagulation rate constants were obtained from the slopes of first and second order plots of the coagulation reactions using aluminum sulphate and okra mucilage (OMUC) as coagulants. The work further examined the suitability of OMUC as a novel coagulant for the removal of colloids from FCIE.