Abstract
This paper assesses the performance of an integrated multistage laboratory-scale plant, for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW). The system was comprised of an eco-flush dosed bio-physico pre-treatment unit for fats, oil, and grease (FOG) hydrolysis prior to the PSW being fed to a down-flow expanded granular bed reactor (DEGBR), coupled to a membrane bioreactor (DEGBR-MBR). The system’s configuration strategy was developed to achieve optimal PSW treatment by introducing the enzymatic pre-treatment unit for the lipid-rich influent (PSW) in order to treat FOG including odour causing constituents such as H2S known to sour anaerobic digestion (AD) such that the PSW pollutant load is alleviated prior to AD treatment. This was conducted to aid the reduction in clogging and sludge washout in the DEGBR-MBR systems and to achieve the optimum reactor and membrane system performance. A performance for the treatment of PSW after lipid reduction was conducted through a qualitative analysis by assessing the pre- and post-pre-treatment units’ chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and FOG concentrations across all other units and, in particular, the membrane units. Furthermore, a similar set-up and operating conditions in a comparative study was also performed. The pre-treatment unit’s biodelipidation abilities were characterised by a mean FOG removal of 80% and the TSS and COD removal reached 38 and 56%, respectively. The final acquired removal results on the DEGBR, at an OLR of ~18–45 g COD/L.d, was 87, 93, and 90% for COD, TSS, and FOG, respectively. The total removal efficiency across the pre-treatment-DEGBR-MBR units was 99% for COD, TSS, and FOG. Even at a high OLR, the pre-treatment-DEGBR-MBR train seemed a robust treatment strategy and achieved the effluent quality set requirements for effluent discharge in most countries.
Highlights
Millions of litres of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) are generated annually from a series of process steps used for bird processing for meat, which includes the slaughtering process, meat handling, and cleaning of facilities and equipment [1]
After the 24-h aeration period, the enzyme activity had facilitated the effective separation of glycerol from the lipid-rich PSW through hydrolysis, corroborating research from other studies [13], whereby it was concluded that hydrolysis promotion was evident in the Membranes 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEEWco-flushTM dosed pre-treatment unit, hypothesised to be facilitated through lipase action.8 of 20 Figure 6 depicts the pre-treatment operation and FOG collected after coagulation
The performance of the pre-treatment stage used in this study is illustrated in Figure 7, which depicts the variation of key water quality assessment parameters as well as their removal efficiencies throughout the study
Summary
Millions of litres of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) are generated annually from a series of process steps used for bird processing for meat, which includes the slaughtering process, meat handling, and cleaning of facilities and equipment [1]. The urgency for effective treatment methods for PSW lie in the need for continued wastewater treatment research but can have financial benefits due to the escalating growth demand for poultry products that is aided by the South African agro-economy expansion For such growth to be sustainable, the devastating effect the wastewater has on the environment, growing water use, and demand, water conservation and recycling should be implemented worldwide. Biological treatment systems have been explored for PSW treatment due to their efficiency, i.e., nutrient and organic matter removal abilities, using several technologies These systems are appreciated for their simplicity and reduced hydraulic retention times (HRTs) while handling high organic loading rates (OLRs) [6]. A hybrid of EGSB and SGBR, with down/top feeding configuration and a recycle
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
