Plant-based coagulants for food industry wastewater treatment

Sustainable effluent treatments are essential tools in lowering the environmental impact of industrial activities. The partial or complete replacement of synthetic coagulants by natural coagulants, especially plant-based ones, can reduce the footprint of the effluent treatment due to the higher biodegradability and non-toxicity. Natural coagulants are also generally cheaper. This review focuses on plant-based coagulants used in food industry wastewater treatment. Extraction parameters of plant-based coagulants and effluent treatment conditions for different coagulants are presented. Based on an extensive assessment of peer-reviewed papers on food industry wastewater treatment, the performance of plant-based coagulants is compared to that of traditional, synthetic coagulants, both alone and as coagulant aids. This review aims to guide researchers and industry professionals in optimizing and scaling up environment-friendlier wastewater treatments using natural coagulants.