Treatment of slaughterhouse plant wastewater by using a membrane bioreactor

The use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for removal of organic substances and nutrients from slaughterhouse plant wastewater was investigated. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of slaughterhouse wastewater were found to be approximately 571 mg O₂/L, 102.5 mg/L, and 16.25 mg PO₄-P/L, respectively. A submerged type membrane was used in the bioreactor. The removal efficiencies for COD, total organic carbon (TOC), TP and TN were found to be 97, 96, 65, 44% respectively. The COD value of wastewater was decreased to 16 mg/L (COD discharge standard for slaughterhouse plant wastewaters is 160 mg/L). TOC was decreased to 9 mg/L (TOC discharge standard for slaughterhouse plant wastewaters is 20 mg/L). Ammonium, and nitrate nitrogen concentrations of treated effluent were 0.100 mg NH₄-N/L, and 80.521 mg NO₃-N/L, respectively. Slaughterhouse wastewater was successfully treated with the MBR process.