Review and Prospects of Xanthan Application in Water Contaminants Removal

This review explores the novel perspectives and application of xanthan in the removal of emerging water contaminants. Xanthan is a nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable biopolymer of microbial origin. Industrial production of xanthan is usually conducted by aerobic submerged batch cultivation of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris ATCC 13951 on the medium containing glucose or sucrose under optimal conditions, and findings of researchers worldwide indicate that xanthan can be successfully biosynthesized on media containing different waste streams, using various Xanthomonas strains. Common application of xanthan is in the food industry as a stabilizer, thickener, and emulsifier because of its high viscosity at lower concentrations and excellent solubility in hot and cold water. The application of xanthan is not only limited to the food and other branches of industry, but also to medicine, biomedical engineering, agriculture, and wastewater treatment. Recent studies have confirmed the excellent photocatalytic activity and emulsifying capacity of xanthan biosynthesized on waste-based media, which offers promising potential for its application in the decontamination of environment. Moreover, the xanthan-based hydrogel has great selectivity for the cationic dye and on the other side, chemically modified xanthan has a great potential as an adsorbent for the removal of metal ions.