Use of natural extracts of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

The use of waste from agro-industrial production and the treatment of effluents are part of the growing global environmental concern, as finding sustainable processes is a necessity for todays industry. The use of natural organic coagulants has emerged as a sustainable technology in wastewater treatment, becoming an alternative to the use of common coagulants, many of which are associated with various environmental problems. Lectins and tannins are components capable of coagulating-flocculating certain types of molecules and particles. Waste from the cassava agro-industry is rich in these compounds. However, the effectiveness of these phenomena, which can be used to treat wastewater from the food and textile industries, depends on factors such as pH, temperature, time and the type of agent that extracts this active ingredient from the plant. It is in this context that this study evaluates the agglutination capacity of crude extracts obtained from the aerial part of cassava. The hemagglutinating activity on different types of erythrocytes is evaluated, as well as the ability to remove color from aqueous solutions of cationic dyes.