title: Characterization and flocculation mechanism of an alkali-activated polysaccharide flocculant from Arthrobacter sp. B4.
abstract: The characterization and flocculation mechanism of a bioflocculant produced by Arthrobacter sp. B4 were investigated. The bioflocculant's active ingredient was a polysaccharide (B4-PS) that consisted of three main fractions corresponding to the molecular weights of approximately 3.97×10(4)Da, 6.84×10(3)Da and 5.9×10(6)Da, respectively. These fractions were composed of galactose, glucose, mannose and glucuronic acid. Flocculation experiments showed that B4-PS could spontaneously flocculate in the presence of Ca(2+) ions at a high pH (>12.0), followed by the pH reduction to ∼6.0. The self-flocculation of B4-PS may be mediated by ionization and charge neutralization mechanism. Furthermore, B4-PS exhibited excellent capabilities for pollutant removal and pH reduction in alkaline wastewater. These data suggest B4-PS may be a promising tool for use in industrial alkaline wastewater pretreatment.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China. Electronic address: mls_liym@ujn.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China.
authors.forename: Dakui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhiheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China.
authors.forename: Dongxue
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, University of Jinan, 250022 Jinan, PR China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000468:Alkalies / Q000737:chemistry; D001173:Arthrobacter / Q000737:chemistry*; D005427:Flocculation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000468:Alkalies; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial
keywords: Arthrobacter sp. B4; Characterization; Mechanism; Polysaccharide; Self-flocculation