Evaluation of the effect of the seed extract of Moringa oleifera Lam over the efficiency of organic filters in wastewater treatment of dairy cattle breeding

João P Francisco,Jonathas B G Silva,Alexandre L Nascentes,Odir C C Roque,Leonardo D B Silva

doi:10.1590/s0100-69162014000100015

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera Lam extract on the removal of total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), in different filter media for treating wastewater of dairy cattle breeding (DCW). The moringa seed extract was obtained by grinding 50 g of seeds in one liter of distilled water and, after passing the solution through a quantitative paper filter of 25 microns, 60 mL of the extract were added to wastewater from cattle breeding before the filtration process in organic filters made of thin coal, bamboo leaves, eucalyptus leaves, gliricidia branches and sawdust. This was followed by the completely randomized experimental design, adopting a factorial of 5 x 2. Aliquots of filtered effluent were collected and the total solids (TS) concentrations, total suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were determined. It was found that the increase in the efficiency of removal of COD and total solids can be attributed to the coagulating power of the moringa seed extract, wherein the filter medium with bamboo leaves presented the best performance, showing potential for use as alternative filter material in the primary treatment of DCW.

Highlights

The amount of waste produced daily by dairy cattle is a major problem in feedlots
With regard to the qualitative characteristics of wastewater from dairy cattle breeding, it can be stated that the water is rich in organic matter, total solids and nutrients (ERTHAL et al, 2010)
The wastewater was stored in a box of 100 liters, where it remained in the sedimentation process for 24 hours before starting the filtration

Summary

Introduction

According to CARVALHO & SILVA (2006), in most feedlots with hydraulic cleaning waste systems, water consumption is of 200 to 250 liters per animal unit per day. According to these authors, the daily production of manure (feces + urine) in dairy cattle is about 10 % of their body weight, which represents, in most cases, a production rate of 45-48 kg animal-1 day-1. Because of the large amount of solid material in suspension present in these waters, there have been frequent problems with clogging of pumps, pipes, and above all emitters in irrigation systems (RAMIREZ, 2010). It becomes necessary to execute a primary treatment to reduce the clogging risk during fertigation, especially if this is done by localized irrigation systems (LO MONACO et al, 2011)

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Methods

Results