Use of a New Bio-Flocculent Extracted from Moroccan Cactus in the Treatment of Polyphenol-Laden Waste by the Flocculation Coagulation Process

Abstract

Olive cultivation is currently the subject of great exposure (Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fishing, 2015), and as a consequence of the implementation of the national olive cultivation development programme, an area of 1,220,000 ha (+ 120%) and a total olive production of 2,500,000 tonnes/year (+ 70%) are among the objectives of the Green Morocco Plan by 2020. The olive sector has experienced a very important movement in the context of the 2017–2018 campaign, which Morocco should record a volume never reached before, with a production record estimated at 1.56 million tons, the production of this campaign shows an increase of 47.8% compared to the previ-ous season. In this work, we determined the efficiency of a new biodegradable natural flocculant extracted from the prickly pear Opuntia ficus indica in a physico-chemical process by coagulation-flocculation, to treat liquid discharges loaded with organic matter and phenols difficult to degrade. The tests were carried out on six well-preserved samples subjected to increasing concentrations of coagulant and flocculant after adjustment of the pH. The results obtained are very encouraging for this type of physico-chemical treatment and work is still in progress until there is a significant improvement in the rate of abatement of the pollutant load.