Uso de almidón de yuca (Manihot-esculenta) para la clarificación del agua de la ciénaga de Malambo, Departamento del Atlántico-Colombia.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the coagulant power of cassava starch to clarify the water of the Malambo-Atlántico swamp and compare the results with the chemical substance most used for water treatment, aluminum sulfate. The simulation of this process was realized through the jar test, for which two coagulant solutions were prepared at 1% and doses of 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/L of each natural and chemical substance were used. The test started with a rapid agitation of 120 rpm for 1 minute, then shook slowly at 30 rpm for 20 minutes; finally the water was allowed to settle for 15 minutes. It was determinate that 20 mg/L of the chemical coagulant reduces the turbidity of the water from 39.1 to 1.80 NTU while 10 mg/L of the natural coagulant decreases it to 11.3 NTU. It was concluded that cassava starch represents a viable option to replace aluminum sulfate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]