TITLE:
Slaughterhouse Wastewater Characterization and Treatment: An Economic and Public Health Necessity of the Meat Processing Industry in Ontario, Canada
AUTHORS:
Ciro Bustillo-Lecompte, Mehrab Mehrvar, Edgar Quiñones-Bolaños
KEYWORDS:
Slaughterhouse Wastewater, Anaerobic Digestion, Activated Sludge, Advanced Oxidation Processes
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.4 No.4,
April
30,
2016
ABSTRACT: The characteristics of the slaughterhouse
effluents and current wastewater treatment practices in the province of
Ontario, Canada are analyzed. Meat processing plants are found to produce large
amounts of wastewater due to the slaughtering process and cleaning of their
facilities. Furthermore, the composition of the wastewater varies according to
the type and number of animals slaughtered and the water requirements of the
process. However, the slaughterhouse wastewater usually contains high levels of
organics and nutrients. Several slaughterhouses in Ontario discharge their
wastewater into the municipal sewer system after primary pretreatment at the
meat processing plant. Therefore, due to the high-strength characteristics of
the slaughterhouse effluents, an extensive treatment for a safe discharge into
the environment is required. Thus, the combination of biological processes and
advanced oxidation technologies for slaughterhouse wastewater treatment is
evaluated in this study. Results show that the application of combined biological
and advanced oxidation processes is recommended for on-site slaughterhouse
wastewater treatment.