Evaluation of solid-state production of myco-coagulant using various lignocellulosic

High turbidity and suspended solids (SS) are among the significant issues that affect rivers due to the wastewater discharge, terrain condition, land cover, rainfall, type of soil, agriculture, and other development activities. Chemical flocculants, such as polyacrylamide and aluminum sulfate, are widely employed for agro-industrial wastewater treatment. However, the excessive use of chemical coagulants may cause health issues to human beings and the environment. Therefore, there is a need to identify efficient and economically viable bio-coagulants from renewable biological sources to treat this pollution issue. Myco-coagulant (My-coag) is considered an organic coagulant produced by fungi that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly. This research aimed to evaluate the solid-state production of myco-coagulant (My-coag) from locally isolated fungal strain using various lignocellulosic media. The fungus was grown on different lignocellulosic substrates such as cocopeat, sawdust, rice bran, and palm kernel cake for seven days with a pH of 7.0 at 30 ºC. The My-caog was extracted from the fungal culture using an aqueous buffer solution of pH seven. It was used to evaluate its efficiency in removing turbidity from kaolin suspension using the jar test apparatus. The results showed that the growth rate and the dry mass were highest on cocopeat supplement, which about 1.4 g of dry weight. The My-caog extracted from the cocopeat showed good flocculating properties in kaolin suspension by reducing the turbidity from 736 NTU to 28 NTU, which is the removal of 96.7% turbidity as compared to the substrates used such as sawdust, palm kernel cake, and rice bran of the 53.7, 19.6, and 11%, respectively. It is expected that further optimization of this process parameters will lead to the efficient removal of turbidity and solids from water and wastewater to move forward in green technology for sustainable growth in the "Clean Water and Sanitation Sector" and protection of the environment too