COD reduction from aminoplast industry effluents

Wastewater from an aminoplast industry located at Industrial Estate Gadoon Amazai was chemically evaluated for parameters like; pH, turbidity, sulphide, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5). It was found that the effluents contain very high COD (23490 - 28410 mg O-2/L) which render it harmful for aquatic life when discharged into the nearby water channels without any treatment. Different physicochemical treatment techniques like air stripping, pH adjustment, flocculation and chemical adsorption were employed at the laboratory scale, which has indicated that more than 80 % COD was reduced by employing the treatment techniques. The results were found promising which suggest that a combined strategy based on the above techniques can be adopted for the treatment of the toxic nature of this industrial effluent. A combined treatment strategy incorporating the results of the present study and the polishing treatment technique is proposed for better results.