Cactus and Holm Oak Acorn for Efficient Textile Wastewater Treatment by Coagulation-Flocculation Process Optimization Using Box-Benhken Design

In this study, the effectiveness of using natural bio-coagulants and bio-flocculants to treat textile wastewater through the coagulation-flocculation method was examined. These bio-based agents have several advantages over chemical agents, including biodegradability, natural abundance, low toxicity, and low cost. A bio-coagulant (holm oak acorn (HOA)) and a bio-flocculant (cactus juice) were used to investigate the capacity for turbidity removal and decolorization of textile wastewater. The UV spectrophotometer was used to characterize the discharges before and after treatment, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) levels were calculated. Box-Behnken design (BBD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized to optimize the process and reduce turbidity and decolorization in textile wastewater. The obtained results show that under the optimal conditions (0.5 g•L-1 of HOA, 15 mL•L-1 of cactus juice, and a pH of 7), decolorization and turbidity removal were achieved at 69% and 90%, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of using bio-coagulants and bio-flocculants in the treatment of textile wastewater.