Optimization of aeration time on GAS-SBR system to remove organic content in wastewater

Abstract

In general, chicken slaughterhouses have slaughtering capacity of more than 40,000 chickens per day, resulting in high volume wastewater with high BOD and COD concentration. Therefore, appropriate wastewater treatment technology is needed. Granular Activated Sludge that uses Sequencing Batch Reactor (GAS-SBR) has ability to treat wastewater with high organic content. The study is conducted to analyze the ability of GAS to reduce organic content with variation of aeration time in reaction stage on SBR. Formation of Granular Activated Sludge (GAS) was cultured by reacting activated sludge and using a stirring of 20 rpm. SBR had a total work volume of 45 liters and was operated in 5 stages, namely the filling, the reaction with aeration, the settling, the decantation, and the stabilization stage. In this study the initial COD concentration in chicken slaughterhouse effluent (RPA) was 5440 mg/L. The result of the study was that highest removal of BOD and COD parameter occured at 3 hours’ aeration time with removal efficiency 75% and 72%, while for TSS was at 5 hours’ aeration time with removal efficiency 65%. It could be concluded that GAS in SBR system could be applied to remove high organic content parameters in wastewater.