EFFICIENT BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL IN HIGH-STRENGTH WASTE-WATER USING COMBINED ANAEROBIC-SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR TREATMENT

The abattoir (slaughter house) wastewater used in this study is high both in the nutrient and carbon concentrations. Two laboratory scale Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) were fed with wastewater from two different stages of anaerobic pretreatment using waste stabilization ponds. They were operated on a 6 hour cycle at room temperature. The SBR using stage 1 effluent shows very good biological nutrient removal (BNR). The soluble phosphorus concentration was reduced from 30-50 mg/l in the feed to < 0.5 mg/l in the effluent. The removal of GOD, TKN, TP and SS were greater than 95%, 92%, 90%, and 94%, respectively. A nonbulking sludge having a Sludge Volume Index (SVI) of less than 100 ml/g was obtained. The results show that the combination of anaerobic pond - SBR treatment is effective in treating high strength abattoir wastewater for carbon and nutrient removal.