University of South Florida

Dawn I Fox

Norma Arcelia Alcantar

Sylvia Thomas

Ryan Gates Toomey

Potable drinking water is plagued with widespread arsenic contamination, particularly in developing communities. Ferric ions were introduced to interact with arsenate based on the strong affinity of arsenate for ferric hydroxides, followed by mucilage addition. The mucilage coagulated and flocculated the ferric-arsenate complex and formed visible flocs that settled at the bottom of the tubes. The system showed 75-96% arsenate removal in 1 hour, while longer retention times showed 100% removal. The role of the mucilage was demonstrated by untreated solutions showing no concentration difference and remaining stable for more than 15 days. This mucilage-based technology has the potential to be a relatively inexpensive, environmentally sustainable alternative to synthetic polymer flocculants for removing arsenic from drinking water.

Cactus mucilage and ferric ions for the removal of arsenate (As(V)) from water

Despite advances in off-shore oil exploration and drilling technology, accidental oil spills do occur. Depending on their magnitude and location, irreparable damage may be inflicted on marine and coastal ecosystems. Emulsification of a water/surfactant/oil system results in the production of oil droplets and this depends on the formulation and composition variables, mixing characteristics and system preparation. Thus, research is ongoing on improving methods of cleaning up oil spills. Cactus mucilage was used to disperse and absorb oil from a simulated oil slick in different salt concentrations. Results show correlations between emulsion properties and interfacial characteristics of mucilage as function of aqueous phase salinity. Mucilage powder added to the oil floating on the water dispersed the oil film and absorbed the oil while remaining afloat, facilitates removal of the oil-mucilage aggregate. This invention is a competitive treatment for oil spill remediation with the added advantage of being more environmentally friendly.

Growing community of inventors

East Bank Demerara, Guyana

Dawn I Fox