Demonstration of Wastewater Recycling in a Slaughterhouse

Abstract

The implementation of research results in industrial applications is a crucial step in the development of innovative technologies. In this work, slaughterhouse wastewater recycling was successfully realized. The system, comprising a process combination of flotation, membrane bioreactor, and reverse osmosis, was able to treat the wastewater from a medium-sized poultry slaughterhouse in northwestern Tunisia. The process managed to treat approximately one-third of the wastewater to the required standard for agricultural irrigation. An additional 35% was purified to drinking-water quality. The remaining water was discharged as concentrate, meeting the necessary limits for indirect discharge. As a result, the slaughterhouse’s fresh water consumption was reduced by 35% and the amount of wastewater by around 70%. With the combined system, average reductions of 99%, 98%, and 96% were achieved for the parameters COD, TN, and electrical conductivity, respectively.

Keywords

• wastewater recycling
• slaughterhouse wastewater
• demonstration plant
• membrane separation technology
• reverse osmosis
• ultrafiltration