The synthesis of cationic derivatives of hemicelluloses from corn husk was carried out by the reaction of hemicelluloses with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (ETA) in aqueous sodium hydroxide. The characterization of the cationic derivatives was carried out by elemental analysis, Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG/DTA). An important characteristic was the solubility in water of the produced derivatives. This characteristic was used to apply derivatives as auxiliary coagulation with tannin in wastewater treatment for industrial laundries. The results showed that the association of tannin and cationic hemicelluloses (3,200 mg L-1) is important because the turbidity removal was greater than 95% in all range of pH, including alkaline regions. Then it is unnecessary to adjust the pH before the coagulation step.
Keywords:
cationic hemicelluloses; corn husk; wastewater treatment; industrial laundries
