Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles and bioflocculant

Nanoparticles and bioflocculants are eco-friendly agents increasingly applied in the treatment of wastewater due to their high removal efficiency and minimal environmental impact. The present study includes isolating and identification of bacteria by collecting seven samples from industrial wastewater, sludge, and soil of Al-Shuaiba refinery, and Soil from the washing and lubrication stations of Al-Qurna, Al-Jazira, Al-Zubair, and Shatt Al-Arab beach.Alishewanella jeotgali strain HAQ8 was chosen for bioflocculant and Fe2O3NPs production.The results of the treatment of Al-Shuaiba refinery wastewater in bioreactors showed the maximum removal percentages of turbidity, color, TSS, TDS, and PAHs in the bioreactor treated with Fe2O3NPs (75.96, 93.50, 61.25, 69.66, and 78.35) %, respectively. The bioreactor treated with bioflocculant and Fe2O3NPs demonstrated a positive effect in removing COD (87.5)%, BOD5 (75.97)%, and TAHs (96.51) %.