Application of pumice stone in the treatment process of green wastewater from an animal slaughter center

Vargas-Luque A.; Canales-Gutiérrez A. · International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (2022) · DOI: 10.1007/s13762-021-03707-2

Resumen

Pumice stone is used as a filter in the green wastewater treatment process, in an animal slaughter center. The problem of turbidity in wastewater, high concentrations total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand, does not allow the wastewater treatment system to have an efficient mechanism. The objectives were: a) to compare the retention of total suspended solids (mg/L) in the filters of varying concentrations of pumice stone (kg/cm3), in the green wastewater treatment process and b) to contrast the efficiency of the removal treatments of chemical oxygen demand (mgO2/L) and biochemical oxygen demand (mg/L) from green wastewater, filtered in varying concentrations of pumice stone. The methodology was to build a mini-plant pilot system, which consisted of installation of five 35 L PVC tanks, with connections through PVC pipes to five pumice filter pools with different quantities. The results were: (a) The concentrations of total suspended solids decreased from 4672 to 2458 mg/L, which translates into a decrease of 47.4%. (b) The decrease in chemical oxygen demand was significant from 4940 to 1690 mg/L, and the decrease in biochemical oxygen demand was also significant from 2950 to 700 mg/L.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional del Altiplano; Universidad Nacional de Moquegua