Treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand filtration

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2007-05, Vol.98 (7), p.1460-1466
• Main Authors: Kang, Young W., Mancl, Karen M., Tuovinen, Olli H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Applied sciences; Biofilm; Biofilms; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; BOD 5; COD; Detergents; Exact sciences and technology; Filtration - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Meat-Packing Industry; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Oxygen - analysis; Particle Size; Pollution; Sand bioreactors; Silicon Dioxide; Time Factors; TOC; Turkey processing wastewater; Turkeys; Various methods and equipments; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater treatment; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Purification - methods; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2006.03.006

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.