Production of Novel Bio-Flocculants from Klebsiella variicola BF1 using Cassava Starch Wastewater and its Application

In this study, Klebsiella variicola BF1 that uses cassa-va starch wastewater to produce flocculants was identified using 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The pure flocculants of strain BF1 could be easily extracted by ethanol precipitation with a high yield of 7.5 g/l. It was mainly composed of 83.1% carbohydrates and 10.6% proteins. The flocculating activity revealed 97.6 ± 0.6% for kaolin suspension at 12.8 mg/l extracted flocculants from strain BF1 and 2.5 g/l CaCl₂. Inter-estingly, the flocculating activity was 78% without the addition of metal ions. Furthermore, flocculants of strain BF1 can be effectively applied in the treatment of cassava starch wastewater and municipal wastewater.