This study investigates the effectiveness of Linum usitatissimum L. seeds as an ecological and natural coagulant for the treatment of urban wastewater. By adopting the Box–Behnken method within the framework of the response surface methodology, the objective of this work is to evaluate the coagulant’s effectiveness and optimize the conditions of the coagulation process, particularly for the removal of colloidal and suspended matter. Three key variables are studied: the concentration of the aqueous extract of Linum usitatissimum L. seeds (expressed in mL per liter of wastewater), the coagulation speed (expressed in rpm) and the coagulation duration (expressed in min). The effectiveness of this treatment is evaluated through the turbidity removal rate, serving as an indicator of the presence of colloidal matter in suspensions.
The obtained results suggest that the optimal conditions for the maximum removal of harmful colloidal matter, as indicated by turbidity reduction, involve the use of 1 mL of coagulant extract per liter of effluent, a coagulation speed of 300 rpm and a coagulation duration of 4 min. An average turbidity removal rate that exceeded 60% has been recorded, demonstrating the effectiveness of Linum usitatissimum L. seeds as an eco-friendly and natural coagulant, which can be a good alternative to chemical coagulants.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, K.B.; Methodology, A.G. and K.B.; Conducting experiments, A.G. and S.A.E.K.A.M.; Software, A.G., K.B., S.G. and F.O.; Formal analysis, A.G., K.B. and S.G.; Writing—original draft preparation, A.G.; Writing—review and editing, K.B. and F.O.; Visualization, S.G.; Supervision, K.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).