Effectiveness of Mushroom (Pleurotus Pulmonarius) Waste as Natural Coagulant for Kaolin Synthetic Water via Coagulation-Flocculation Process

Abstract

Coagulation-flocculation process is a widely used method in water treatment. In this study, mushroom waste was selected as natural coagulant to treat kaolin synthetic water via coagulation-flocculation process. Rotten mushroom and mushroom spent were evaluated separately. Functional group of mushroom wastes were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Optimum dosage and pH of mushroom wastes and aluminium sulphate in kaolin synthetic water treatment were examined through jar testing. A comparative study on the effectiveness of mushroom wastes and aluminium sulphate in kaolin synthetic water treatment was evaluated in terms of turbidity removal percentage and sludge volume index. Results obtained from jar testing show rotten mushroom and mushroom spent achieved turbidity removal efficiency of 99.73% and 99.25% respectively at optimal pH of 4 and optimal dosage of 5 mg/L whereas 99.91% of turbidity was eliminated by alum under optimum condition of pH 9 and dosage 25 mg/L. Under optimized condition, sludge volume index value obtained by rotten mushroom, mushroom spent and alum were 37.38 mL/g, 40.34 mL/g and 51.58 mL/g respectively. Overall, the finding indicated that mushroom waste could be a potential alternative to chemical coagulant since they are environmentally friendly, effective in turbidity removal, producing less sludge and pH independent.