Abstract—Wastewater treatment using biopolymers
produced by bacteria is an emerging approach that seeks to
offer sustainable and efficient solutions for wastewater
management. For this reason, the present work evaluated the
efficiency of dextran as a in the treatment of industrial
wastewater. A molecularly identified strain whose 100%
identity corresponded to the species Leuconostoc
pseudomesenteroides was used for this purpose. The flocculant
activity of dextran was evaluated using doses of 20 and 40 ppm,
while a concentration of 5 ppm was used for aluminum sulfate.
Subsequently, the contents were transferred to 250 mL
cylindrical test tubes and left to stand for 96 h. To analyze the
effectiveness of these treatments in water purification,
parameters such as turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and total solids
were assesse in the treated samples and compared to an
untreated control. While aluminum sulfate was found to be
more effective in reducing turbidity and total solids, dextran
demonstrated promising results, particularly at higher
concentrations, where an enhancement in dissolved oxygen
efficiency was observed. Additionally, dextran, at a
concentration of 40 ppm, was identified as the most effective
treatment in reducing fecal coliforms. In summary, dextran is
presented as a promising option for wastewater treatment,
highlighting its efficacy and environmental benefits.
Keywords—bioflocculant, Leucnostoc pseudomesenteroides,
dextran, industrial wastewater, coliforms
Cite: M. De La Cruz Noriega, Waldo Espinola Salvatierra, Luis Cabanillas Chirinos, Moises Gallozzo Cárdenas, and Karol Mendoza Villanueva, "Efficiency of Dextran as a Bioflocculant in the Treatment of Industrial Wastewater," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 101-107, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).