Sancayo peel (Corryocactus brevistylus) as an efficient natural coagulant to remove turbidity in synthetic samples containing kaolin

Herrera-Linares E.; Mendoza-Pary C.R.; Terán-Hilares R.; García-Bustos K.; Carrasquero-Ferrer S.; Tejada-Meza K.; Colina-Andrade G. · Results in Chemistry (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.rechem.2026.103367

Resumen

This study evaluates sancayo peel (Corryocactus brevistylus) powder (SPP) as a sustainable natural coagulant for treating synthetic turbid water (STW) containing kaolin. A Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to optimize the process variables: coagulant dosage (0.05–0.15 g/L), pH (3–9), and initial turbidity (50–200 NTU). The study utilized Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to determine the optimal conditions for turbidity removal. The optimization analysis revealed that a dosage of 0.1 g/L of SPP at pH 3 with an initial turbidity of 200 NTU provided the maximum reduction of 82%. ANOVA results indicated that only pH and turbidity were statistically significant variables, (R2 = 0.99). Comparatively, aluminum sulfate achieved a 99% reduction at pH 6 (200 NTU), whereas SPP reached 48% under those specific conditions. Although the chemical coagulant demonstrated higher overall efficiency, SPP showed significant potential as an eco-friendly alternative for treating water with medium-to-high turbidity, particularly under acidic conditions. Copyright

Instituciones: Universidad Católica de Santa María