Turbidity and Chemical Oxygen Demand Reduction from Pig Slurry through a Coagulation Flocculation Process
Oumaima El bied,
Mathieu Kessler,
Martire Angélica Terrero,
Taoufiq Fechtali,
Angel Faz Cano,
José A. Acosta
Affiliations
Oumaima El bied
Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Agronomic Engineering Department, ETSIA, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Mathieu Kessler
Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Edificio del Antiguo Hospital de Marina, Planta Bajo Cubierta, Avenida Dr. leming 0202, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Martire Angélica Terrero
Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Agronomic Engineering Department, ETSIA, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Taoufiq Fechtali
Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Technologies, Hassan II University, Casablanca 28806, Morocco
Angel Faz Cano
Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Agronomic Engineering Department, ETSIA, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
José A. Acosta
Sustainable Use, Management and Reclamation of Soil and Water Research Group, Agronomic Engineering Department, ETSIA, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Pig slurry is considered a high-risk effluent that causes several environmental problems if it is not adequately managed and treated. White Iberian pig farms in the southeast of Spain treat their slurry in situ using separation, double filtration, decantation, and constructed wetland treatments. However, the pretreatment process does not successfully reduce solids, which leads to clogging in the constructed wetlands (CWs). The main objective of this research paper is to reduce the turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the effluent to make it appropriate for CW treatment. Optimization of the coagulation–flocculation (CF) process using iron chloride and a cationic flocculent DKFLOCC-1598 was investigated by a central composite design method (CCD). The effects of coagulant concentration, pH, and flocculent on the COD and turbidity removal were evaluated. The best results were found using 0.024 mol L−1 iron chloride and 0.164 mL L−1 flocculent at pH 7.5, which reduced COD by 96% and delivered turbidity removal of 97%. Therefore, the results indicate the high efficiency of the treatment method in reducing the COD and suspended solids.
