TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER OF FOOD INDUSTRY BY MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR

Abstract: Food industry requires a large quantity of water for various processes. Compared to other industrial sectors, food industry requires more water, used in throughout most of the plant operations, such as production, cleaning, sani-tizing, cooling and materials transport, among others. The treatment mechanisms of contaminants in wastewater are highly dependent on the design and operational characteristics of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPS). The membrane biological reactors (MBR) have proven to be efficient for the treatment of industrial wastewaters over conventional wastewater treatment plants when treatment efficiency is an important consideration. The present study aims to analyze effectiveness of membrane bioreactor technology as a modern tool to minimize the water pollution level caused by noodle, curd, and infant food plants. The analysis of pollutants in influent and effluent from food industry was done on the monthly basis. The pollution indicators (BOD, COD, total suspensions, temperature, appearance, and pH) of wastewater of food industry had high values but they remained within the range after treatment in the MBR. When analyzed at monthly intervals, 98% BOD5 and above 99%, COD removals were achieved. Overall efficiency of removed pollutants as COD, BOD and TSS from the wastewater was more than 90%. MBR technology is thus a better and advanced method to treat wastewater of food industries.

Keywords: Industrial wastewater, Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), Membrane filtration, ultra filtration.