Chitosan for coagulation/flocculation processes – An eco-friendly approach

Chitosan is a partially deacetylated polymer obtained from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin, a biopolymer extracted from shellfish sources. Chitosan exhibits a variety of physico-chemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications in fields such as cosmetics, biomedical engineering, pharmaceuticals, ophthalmology, biotechnology, agriculture, textiles, oenology, food processing and nutrition. This amino-biopolymer has also received a great deal of attention in the last decades in water treatment processes for the removal of particulate and dissolved contaminants. In particular, the development of chitosan-based materials as useful coagulants and flocculants is an expanding field in the area of water and wastewater treatment. Their coagulation and flocculation properties can be used to remove particulate inorganic or organic suspensions, and also dissolved organic substances. This paper gives an overview of the main results obtained in the treatment of various suspensions and solutions. The effects of the characteristics of the chitosan used and the conditions in solution on the coagulation/flocculation performance are also discussed.