Toxicity assessment of meat-processing wastewater

Abstract

The development of industrial waste treatment and disposal technologies requires the use of rapid analyses for quick and accurate assessment of the properties of waste and wastewater. Biotests allows quickly define the integral toxicity and can be attractive for screening studies. The purpose of this paper was to study the toxicity of samples of wastewater from a meat-processing plant at various test sites for a comprehensive assessment of their danger to surrounding ecosystems and the biocenosis of biological treatment facilities. The study of meat-processing wastewater, as well as its fractions, did not reveal signs of their strong toxic potential. The optimal method for studying the total toxicity of complex mixtures is to evaluate the properties of the water-soluble fraction, since it is a real threat if it enters the human body. Biotests on representatives of various trophic levels made it possible to estimate the safety of the studied wastewater in a short time, therefore were recommended as test systems for monitoring the environmental safety of wastewater in order to identify a number of individual chemical compounds, integral toxic potential, and long-term consequences for natural and artificial ecosystems.