Biological treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand filtration

This research was conducted to assess the feasibility of turkey processing wastewater treatment with a sand filter system. The effects of operational parameters such as hydraulic and organics loadings, filter design, dosing frequency, and detergent as an additive on the treatment of turkey processing wastewater with bench-scale sand filters were investigated. In this study, sand filters layered (i) with fine and coarse sand, and (ii) with fine and coarse sand and pea gravel were evaluated in the treatment of turkey processing wastewater.; The sand filtration system in this study represents a feasible treatment to remove organic materials from turkey processing wastewater, including total organic carbon (TOC) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and nutrients (ammonia and phosphate). The efficiency and life span of the treatment process were related to the extent of hydraulic loading of the sand filters. To prolong the filter run time, a reduction of hydraulic loading rate is required. This increases construction and maintenance costs. Based on the excellent performance, with >94% of TOC and BOD5 removal during the treatment of turkey processing wastewater, sand filtration is a feasible alternative for secondary biological processes.; Three-layer sand filter design is recommended to achieve optimum organic material removal and extended operation. A pea gravel cap is a recommended as a pretreatment method to reduce clogging in sand filters. A pea gravel layer is also recommended. Additional detergent in the three-layer sand filter did not have beneficial effects on removal efficiency and filter run time. An increase in organic loadings due to detergent amendment shortened the filter run time. An increase in hydraulic or organic loadings of sand filters did not affect the effluent quality. Organic loading was an important design factor that affected filter run time. To optimize the effluent quality and length of filter run, the organic loading should be relatively low with the three-layer sand filters.; Multiple dosing of sand filters provided superior performance in the treatment efficiency and filter run time. Multiple dosing and time-extended dosing greatly impacted the water movement in the sand filter. Multiple dosing had the greatest impact on eliminating flow peaks and fluctuations in wastewater flow through the sand filters at increasing loading rates. Time-extended dosing also reduced the fluctuation of wastewater flow in the sand filters. Combinations of time-extended and multiple dosing for sand filters are likely to improve the efficiency and life span due to controlled uniform wastewater flow. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...