Isolation and Identification of Bioflocculants from Wastewater at Girei and Yola North, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the bioflocculant-production capabilities
and flocculating activities of bacteria isolated from wastewater. Wastewater
samples were obtained from three disposal sites in Adamawa State, Nigeria,
namely: Yola market in Yola North LGA, Vinoklang and Jaga Jaga markets in
Girei LGA. The samples were diluted with distilled water, incubated for 24 h
before isolating the bacteria using Pour plate method. The isolated bacterial
were subjected to morphological characterization and gram staining, followed by
biochemical tests to identify the probable organisms. Seven bacterial isolates:
(ISO1) Klebsiella spp, (ISO2) Bacillus spp., (ISO3) Escherichia coli, (ISO4)
Staphylococcus aureus, (ISO5) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (ISO6) Salmonella
spp and (ISO7) Proteus spp. were identified. The organisms were then
screened using bioflocculant production broth medium to ascertain their
bioflocculating capabilities before determining their flocculating activity using
kaolin clay suspension. Flocculating activity tests showed that four out of the
seven bacteria had the ability to produce bioflocculants. The observed activities
are: Bacillus spp (64.49%), Klebsiella spp (50.45%), Staphylococcus aureus
(40.67%) and Escherichia coli (37.56%). The study concludes that wastewater
from Yola North and Girei LGAs in Adamawa State are potential alternative
sources of bioflocculants to synthetic bioflocculants.