Spray Dried Powder Biocoagulant From Jatropha Curcas Liquid Extract And Its Preliminary Assessment In Turbidity Removal

This research focuses on converting liquid J.curcas extract into a powder coagulant using spray drying to improve the shelf life. The inlet temperature ( 120 − 180°C ), feed concentration ( 20− 50%) and pump flow rate ( 600 − 4600 ml/h ) of drying was investigated and Response Surface Methodology was used for optimization, with powder yield, moisture, and protein content as responses. Spray drying optimum conditions were 180°C, 50% of feed concentration and 600 ml/h pump flow rate, to give a powder yield of 5.69% with 4.22% and 78.8mg/l of moisture and protein content respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed presence of amino and carboxyl groups in the powder. Agglomerated powder with particle size between 5.62 to 7 µm were seen with presence of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen through FESEM-EDX, which were associated with existing protein in coagulant agent in powder. The spray-dried J.curcas press cake liquid extract powder performance was evaluated in the coagulation process, showing optimal performance at pH 3 with the dose used of 200 mg/l. Comparison of J. curcas press cake liquid extract coagulant with conventional alum resulted in a comparable turbidity removal of 99.47% and 99.33% respectively. The findings proved spray-dried powder effectiveness as coagulant which marked a significant steppingstone for a viable industrial application.