Evaluation of the removal of organic matter from a slaughterhouse effluent by applying Fenton and photo-Fenton processes

Garcés-Porras K.; Zavaleta Espinoza S. · Revista Internacional de Contaminacion Ambiental (2024) · DOI: 10.20937/rica.55100

Resumen

Slaughtering animals in a slaughterhouse requires large consumption of water and, consequently, generates wastewater with a high organic load, the disposal of which represents an environmental problem. For this reason, in the present investigation, the efficiency of the Fenton and photo-Fenton processes in the removal of organic matter from the effluent of the municipal slaughterhouse of Cusco, Peru, was evaluated using statistical techniques. Previously, the effluent’s characteristics and the sampling point’s diagnosis were evaluated, monitored, and analyzed. The methodology and sampling procedures established by Peruvian regulations were used for the effluent sampling. The initial and final concentration of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) was determined in each experiment. The box-Behnken design was used for the distribu-tion matrix of the 30 experiments with their respective levels, corresponding to the following parameters: FeSO4•7H2O, H2O2, and pH. The tests were carried out in a jar test, with a stirring speed of 150 rpm and a reaction time of 1 h. In the case of the photo-Fenton process, a photoreactor with a 13 W lamp (UV-C 254 nm) was installed using the same stirring speed and reaction time. The results achieved in the research, with respect to the Fenton process, indicate a BOD5 decrease of 93.96 % compared to the Photo-Fenton process, which reached 94.63 %.

Instituciones: Universidad Andina del Cusco