Turkey Processing Wastewater Research Articles

Effect of Sodium Chloride Concentration on Removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand and Ammonia from Turkey Processing Wastewater in Sand Bioreactors

HighlightsSand bioreactors can effectively treat organic matter at salt levels at least up to 13 g L-1 NaCl.Acclimation of the systems for ammonia removal can take >4 weeks.Clogging and reduction in treatment efficacy can be alleviated through resting of sand bioreactors. Abstract. The treatment of high salt (>1%) wastewater is an issue in several food industries, including meat curing, vegetable pickling, and fish processing. Novel solutions involving biological treatment of saline wastewaters are increasingly important as companies strive to minimize waste production. Sand bioreactors are a secondary treatment option that do not produce secondary sludge. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of treating high salt content poultry processing wastewater with sand bioreactors. Twelve laboratory-scale sand bioreactors consisted of 14.5-cm diameter columns with three layers composed of 15 cm of gravel, 15 cm of coarse sand, and 46 cm of fine sand. The columns were dose fed at 4 cm day-1 turkey processing wastewater with 0, 6, and 13 g L-1 NaCl. Removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia were monitored for over an 11-month period. Each bioreactor successfully removed >90% COD and ammonia during steady state after 4 to 5 week of acclimatization. Clogging caused a decrease in treatment in three sand bioreactors after 6 to 7 months, but was alleviated with rest periods. Keywords: Ammonia removal, Clogging, High salt wastewater, Organic matter removal, Sand bioreactor, Turkey processing wastewater.

Treatment of Meat-processing Wastewater with a Full-scale, Low-cost Sand/Gravel Bioreactor System

Abstract. A full-scale sand/gravel bioreactor system was constructed to treat turkey processing wastewater. The system was designed to treat 757,000 L day-1 at a surface application rate of 6 cm day-1. Twelve 25 × 55 m sand bioreactors cover 1.6 ha on the plant property site. Construction cost was $1,426,000 (2011-2012) and operating costs were $57,600 per year. Normalized to volume of wastewater treatment, the estimated (2013) capital and operation cost is $1.03 m-3. The plant began discharging effluent in 2013. Throughout 30 months, the plant has met all effluent requirements for CBOD5, TSS, and fat, oil, and grease (FOG). FOG was always below the detection level of 5 mg L-1 in the treated effluent. Ammonia is removed by the sand/gravel bioreactors through the summer months. During the winter/spring months, supplemental ammonia removal with an ion-exchange system is used to meet effluent standards. The low cost of the sand bioreactor system makes it suitable for small-scale meat processors. Keywords: Ammonia removal, FOG (fat, oil and grease), Sand filtration, Turkey processing, Ion-exchange.

Treatment of Turkey Processing Wastewater Using Sand and Textile Bioreactors

<abstract> <b><i>Abstract. </i></b> High strength wastewater can be effectively treated with sand bioreactors. Fats, oils, grease, and large, slowly degradable solids can clog the sand. The goal of this study was to compare sand bioreactor design by using either layers of coarse sand with pea gravel or layers of textile chips for wastewater pretreatment. Influent turkey processing wastewater varied from 840-3,920 mg COD L^-1 and 463-2,260 mg BOD₅ L^-1 was applied at 66 L m^-2 day^-1 (1.63 gal ft^-2 day^-1). The bioreactors reached >95% and >99% removal of COD and BOD₅, respectively, within one month of operation. Clogging tests were performed on sand/gravel and sand/textile bioreactors after 15 and 19 months of operation. Results indicated 30% to 40% filter clogging and this did not affect BOD₅ and COD removal negatively in the bioreactors. The bioreactors operated successfully for a total of 25.8 months before the experiment was terminated.

Using a Hydroponic System with Tall Fescue to Remove Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Renovated Turkey Processing Wastewater

Abstract. Rising nitrogen and phosphorus related nutrient pollution in different aquifers, as indicated by the deterioration of water quality, triggered this study. The aim of this study was to use commercially valuable ornamental plants, such as tall fescue, for wastewater treatment without decreasing the overall treatment efficiencies of a laboratory-scale hydroponic (soilless) system. Renovated turkey processing wastewater, from a sand bioreactor treatment system at a turkey processing plant, was used in this experiment. Nitrate and phosphate were measured in influent and effluent of the hydroponic system to evaluate the nutrient removal efficiency. Tall fescue was cultured on media consisting of perforated plastic plates and one layer of burlap. Water samples were tested at 12 h intervals under 2-day hydraulic retention times. Average removals of 53% nitrate and 68% soluble reactive phosphate were achieved at 48 h under 2-day hydraulic retention time. The 2-day retention time was optimal for nutrient removal at 22 to 28 days of growth. The plant nutrient content was also determined. The tall fescue hydroponic system, including possible microbial participation, accounted on average for 14% nitrate-N and 42% P removal. Improvement in the efficiencies could come from a better understanding of the biological mechanisms and controls of nutrient removal.

Enhancing biomethane production from flush dairy manure with turkey processing wastewater

The objective of this study was to assess the quantity and quality of biogas produced by co-digesting flushed dairy manure (FDM) and turkey processing wastewater (TPW). An attached growth digester with working volume of 15 L and a 3 L head space was operated at a 5 d hydraulic retention time using five feed mixes containing 100, 67, 50, 33, and 0% FDM by volume. The biogas yield ranged from 0.072 to 0.8 m 3 [g VS −1] and the methane content (quality) of the gas ranging from 56% to 70%. Both the quantity and quality of the biogas increased as the proportion of TPW in the feed increased. An energy balance for the digester based on a dairy farm with 150 animals, showed that augmenting FDM with TPW at 1:1 and 1:2 ratios, feeds C and D, respectively, produced biogas with net positive energy to all year round. The gas produced was enough to run a 50 kW generator to produce electricity for about 5.5 and 9 h for the 1:1 and 1:2 feed mixes. However, the economics were not favorable if the benefits of the digester are based only on the value electricity to be produced. Either, other possible revenues such as carbon credit, renewable energy credits, green tags for electricity, putting a value to the environmental benefits of AD should be considered or subsidies from grants or other incentives programs to make the system economically viable.

Pretreatment of turkey fat-containing wastewater in coarse sand and gravel/coarse sand bioreactors

Fat, oil and grease in wastewater can be difficult to treat because of their slow decomposition. Traditional pretreatment facilities to remove fat, oil and grease from wastewater are increasingly costly. The hypothesis in this study was that pretreatment of animal fat-containing wastewater in sand and sand/gravel filters facilitates the conversion of slowly degradable organic matter measured as the difference between chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5) for subsequent biological treatment. The pretreatment was evaluated using simulated turkey-processing wastewater and coarse sand and sand/gravel filters at a constant hydraulic loading rate of 132 L/m 2/day. Two types of fixed media reactors were employed: (i) one set with a varying depth of coarse sand, and (ii) the second was similar but with an additional pea gravel cap. The results indicated that the relative removal of COD was slightly improved in the sand bioreactors with a pea gravel cap irrespective of the depth of coarse sand, but partial conversion to BOD 5 was not consistently demonstrated. Pea gravel may act as a sieve to entrap organic matter including fat globules from the wastewater. Multiple dosing at the same daily loading rate slightly improved the treatment efficiency of the sand bioreactors. The ratios of influent-COD/effluent-COD were always greater than 1.0 following a change in the dosing frequency after a rest period, suggesting that organic matter, specifically fat globules in this case, was retained by the column matrix.

Recovery of Sand Bioreactor Performance through Resting Following Treatment of Turkey Processing Wastewater

This research investigated the impact of resting on the performance of sand bioreactors treating turkey processing wastewater. Sand bioreactors received either raw turkey processing wastewater or a mixture of raw turkey processing wastewater and 0.04% of Ivory detergent. Two- and three-layer structured sand bioreactors were operated indoors at a hydraulic loading rate of 132 L/m2/day at 60 min dosing intervals. First sand bioreactor operation was terminated when excessive ponding occurred. After resting for 35 days at 264C, the second sand bioreactor operation was performed under similar operational conditions. Higher treatment efficiencies of TOC and BOD5 and greater total removed TOC and BOD5 were achieved following the 35 days of resting in the two- and three-layer sand bioreactor, and operation could be extended without clogging in the subsequent second runs. Thus rest periods could be used to recover treatment performance of sand bioreactors. Resting of drained sand bioreactors improved the treatment performance and lengthened the bioreactor runs. A rest period for 35 days was sufficient to recover the sand bioreactor performance. Reclamation of top layer of the sand bioreactor, such as plowing and raking, is recommended to improve the restoration effect because natural ventilation of the sand bioreactor is required during and after the rest period. Periodic operation of sand bioreactors would also be beneficial. Periodical turnover of the 1- or 2-in. top layer of pea gravel is recommended because it will improve aeration and disperse the accumulated fat.

Treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand filtration

This research investigated the feasibility of coarse/fine sand filtration for removing organic materials from turkey processing wastewater. Sand filtration was tested with three organic and hydraulic loadings. Six two-layer sand bioreactors were in three groups, each with 5 cm layer of pea gravel at the bottom to support layers of fine sand (46 cm) and coarse sand (15 cm) to a height of 66 cm. The bioreactors were inoculated with a mixture of 20% (vol/vol) of wastewater lagoon sludge, 40% (vol/vol) of turkey processing wastewater, and 40% (vol/vol) of BOD 5 dilution water before starting the column operation with turkey processing wastewater. The wastewater contained 1270 ± 730 mg COD/L and was applied to each sand bioreactor at hydraulic loading rates of 264, 132 and 66 L/m 2/day. Each group comprised duplicate columns with the identical hydraulic loading. A commercially available detergent, Ivory TM, was added to the wastewater at 0.04% (wt/vol). Maximum treatment efficiencies were reached within a week. The removal of TOC and BOD 5 was >94% during 80 days of column operation at low and medium hydraulic loading rates (⩽132 L/m 2/day). The removal at the highest hydraulic loading rate (264 L/m 2/day) declined after the appearance of a black zone in the top layer of fine sand on day 30 for one reactor and day 50 for the other. The sand filtration in this study represents a feasible treatment for turkey processing wastewater and its efficiency and the life span of the process are associated with the extent of hydraulic loading of the sand bioreactors.