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Optimization of nitrogen and phosphorus removal from pig slaughterhouse and packing plant wastewater through electrocoagulation in a batch reactor

Otimização da remoção de nitrogênio e fósforo de efluente de matadouro e frigorífico de suínos por meio da eletrocoagulação em reator batelada

Abstract

This work evaluated the removal of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphorus (P) through electrocoagulation and used aluminum electrodes to optimize the potential differential (pd) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) variables in a batch reactor. The experimental design used was Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD). The application of the electrocoagulation in the treatment of effluents from pig slaughterhouses and packing plants proved to be efficient in relation to the removal of TKN and total phosphorus, obtaining maximum efficiency equal to 67.15% and 99%, respectively. The maximum TKN removal value was found in Test 12, where treatment conditions were 30 minutes for HRT and 20 volts for pd, which corresponds to 0.86 A of electric current and a current density of 17.2 mA cm-2. For P, the only test that removed below 99% was the first. Through statistical analyses, it was only possible to obtain a mathematical model for TKN removal. While the response surface graph did not present a defined range of the best conditions for the independent variables, it was possible to observe the tendency for better removal, a wide range of pd and values over 30 minutes for retention time.

Keywords:
electroflotation; electrolytic treatment; nutrients

Resumo

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a remoção de nitrogênio total kjeldahl (NTK) e fósforo total (P) através da eletrofloculação e otimizar as variáveis diferencial de potencial (ddp) e tempo de detenção hidráulica (TDH) em um reator batelada utilizando eletrodos de alumínio. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o DCCR. A aplicação da técnica da eletrofloculação no tratamento de efluentes de matadouros e frigoríficos de suínos demonstrou ser eficiente no que tange a remoção de NTK e fósforo total obtendo-se eficiência máxima igual a 67,15% e 99%, respectivamente. O valor máximo de remoção de NTK foi encontrado no ensaio 12, onde as condições de tratamento foram de 30 minutos para o TDH e 20 volts para a ddp o que corresponde a 0,86 A de corrente elétrica e uma densidade de corrente igual a 17,2 mA cm-2. Para o P, o único ensaio que removeu abaixo de 99% foi o primeiro. Através das análises estatísticas, foi possível obter modelo matemático apenas para a remoção de NTK, entretanto o gráfico da superfície de resposta não apresentou uma faixa definida das melhores condições para as variáveis independentes, mas foi possível observar a tendência para melhor remoção, uma ampla faixa de ddp e valores acima de 30 minutos para o tempo de detenção.

Palavras-chave:
eletroflotação; nutrientes; tratamento eletrolítico

1. INTRODUCTION

The production of pork in Brazil has great relevance for the country's economy. According to ABPA (2017)ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE PROTEÍNA ANIMAL - ABPA. Relatório anual. 2017. Disponível em: https://goo.gl/unpxGV Acesso em: jul. 2018.
https://goo.gl/unpxGV...
, Brazil produced 3.73 million tons of pork in 2016, ranking 4th in the world.

Pig slaughterhouses and packing plants generate a large amount of effluents, which consist of protein, fat, salts, animal manure and other substances. This waste therefore has a high degree of pollution, with high levels of organic matter, oils and greases, nutrients and total solids.

In addition to the high degree of pollution, the meat processing industry produces large volumes of wastewater due to the slaughter of animals and the cleaning of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants (Bustillo-Lecompte and Mehrvar, 2015BUSTILLO-LECOMPTE, C. F.; MEHRVAR, M. Slaughterhouse wastewater characteristics, treatment, and management in the meat processing industry: A review on trends and advances. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 161, n. 287, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.07.008
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015...
). The meat processing industry uses 24% of the total fresh water consumed by the food and beverage industry and up to 29% of the worldwide agricultural sector demand (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2012MEKONNEN, M.M.; HOEKSTRA, A.Y. A global assessment of the water footprint of farm animal products. Ecosystems, v. 15, n.3, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-951...
; Gerbens-Leenes et al, 2013GERBENS-LEENES, P. W.; MEKONNEN, M. M.; HOEKSTRA, A. Y. The water footprint of poultry, pork and beef: a comparative study in different countries and production systems. Water Resources and Industry, v. 1/2, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wri.2013.03.001
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wri.2013.03....
).

In addition to the large amount of effluent generated, the wastewater from the slaughterhouses and packing plants contains several types of pollutants, among them nutrients.

Nutrients released into the water, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, contribute to the increase of primary productivity of the system, resulting in an accumulation of organic matter and reduction of light penetration (Azevedo et al., 2008AZEVEDO, A.C. G de; FEITOSA, F. A. N.; KOENING, M. L. Distribuição espacial e temporal da biomassa fitoplanctônica e variáveis ambientais no Golfão Maranhense, Brasil. Acta Botânica Brasilica, v. 22, n. 3, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062008000300022
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-3306200800...
).

Because of this, removing such nutrients from the wastewater is indispensable to minimize the impacts caused to the receiving bodies. Several techniques can be used to treat effluents generated in productive processes.

Jaafari et al. (2017)JAAFARI, J.; SEYEDSALEHI, M.; SAFARI, G. H.; ARJESTAN, M. E.; BARZANOUMI, H.; GHADIMI, S. et al. Simultaneous biological organic matter and nutrient removal in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) integrated system. International Journal Environmental Science and Technology, v. 14, p. 291-304, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-1206-x
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-016-1206-...
used Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs) for the simultaneous removal of organic matter and nutrients from wastewater. In this same context, Safari et al. (2015)SAFARI, J. H.; ZARRABI, M.; HOSEINI, M.; KAMANI, H.; JAAFARI, J.; MAHVI, A. H. Trends of natural and acid-engineered pumice onto phosphorus ions in aquatic environment: adsorbent preparation, characterization, and kinetic and equilibrium modeling. Desalination and Water Treatment,v. 54, n. 11, p. 3031-3043, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2014.915385
https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2014.91...
and Naghipour et al. (2015)NAGHIPOUR, D.; TAGHAVI, K.; JAAFARI, J.; MAHDAVI, Y.; GHOZIKALI, M. J.; AMERI, R. et al. Statistical modeling and optimization of the phosphorus biosorption by modified Lemna minor from aqueous solution using response surface methodology (RSM). Desalination and Water Treatment, v. 57, n. 41, p. 19431-19442, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1100555
https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.11...
used the adsorption and biosorption processes for the removal of phosphorus in aqueous solutions.

Techniques involving electrochemical reactions have been studied in environmental applications, especially in the treatment of wastewater. One such process is electrocoagulation (EC) which has gained attention because of its attractive advantages such as simplicity and low operating cost (Deghles and Kurt, 2016DEGHLES, A.; KURT, U. Treatment of tannery wastewater by a hybrid electrocoagulation/ electrodialysis process. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, v. 104, 2016. http://dx.doi.org.10.1016/j.cep.2016.02.009
http://dx.doi.org.10.1016/j.cep.2016.02....
).

EC involves the dissolution of a metal (usually iron or aluminum) in the anode with the simultaneous formation of hydroxyl ions, and the generation of hydrogen gas in the cathode, which can be recovered for use as an energy source or a reagent for other industrial applications (Phalakornkule et al., 2010PHALAKORNKULE, C.; SUKKASEM, P.; MUTCHIMSATTHA, C. Hydrogen recovery from the electrocoagulation treatment of dye-containing wastewater. International Journal Of Hydrogen Energy, v. 35, n. 20, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.06.100
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.201...
).

According to Crespilho and Rezende (2004)CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Teoria da eletroflotação. In: CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Eletroflotação: Princípios e aplicações. São Carlos: Rima, 2004. p.1-12., EC occurs in four stages: electrochemical generation of the coagulating agent, electrocoagulation, electroflocculation and flotation of the impurities.

The electrochemical generation of the coagulating agent occurs from the dissolution of the anode of aluminum electrodes subjected to an obtained electric current. In addition to the electric current, other factors should be considered, such as the conductivity of the solution, the resistivity of the medium and the potential applied between the electrodes (Crespilho and Rezende, 2004CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Teoria da eletroflotação. In: CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Eletroflotação: Princípios e aplicações. São Carlos: Rima, 2004. p.1-12.).

In electrocoagulation, the positively charged material can react with the negative charges of the solution. This causes the hydrolysis that releases aluminum hydroxide, responsible for the treatment of the effluent submitted to the process (Brito et al., 2012BRITO, J. F.; FERREIRA, L. O.; SILVA, J. P. Tratamento da água de purificação do biodiesel utilizando eletrofloculação. Química Nova, v. 35, n. 4, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422012000400014
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422012...
).

In the electroflocculation stage, the aluminum complexes are adsorbed in colloidal particles, giving rise to larger particles. This step consists of greater destabilization of the system and the flocs can be removed through flotation (Crespilho and Rezende, 2004CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Teoria da eletroflotação. In: CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Eletroflotação: Princípios e aplicações. São Carlos: Rima, 2004. p.1-12.).

Finally, electroflotation promotes the separation of the impurities by flotation. This occurs due to the applied potential-forming hydrogen microbubbles in the cathode. The formed hydrogen bubbles promote the entrainment of the formed flocs to the surface of the solution. An example of application using electrocoagulation with aluminum electrodes is the work of Esfandyari et al. (2015)ESFANDYARI, Y.; MAHDAVI, Y.; SEYEDSALEHI, M.; HOSEINI, M.; SAFARI, G. H.; GHOZIKALI, M. G. et al. Degradation and biodegradability improvement of the olive mill wastewater by peroxi- electrocoagulation/electrooxidation-electroflotation process with bipolar aluminum electrodes. Environmental Science Pollution Research, v. 22, n. 8, p. 6288-6297, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3832-5
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3832-...
.

This work evaluated the removal of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphorus (P) through electrocoagulation, and used aluminum electrodes to optimize the potential differential (pd) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) variables in a batch reactor.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Effluent from pig slaughterhouses and processing plants

The effluent used in the study came from a pig slaughterhouse and a packing plant located in the western region of Paraná. This industry slaughters approximately 6,500 animals, producing a discharge of 5,200 m3 of effluent per day.

The treatment system of the studied plant is composed of preliminary treatment with sieves, decanters and grease traps, which aim to eliminate coarse solids, oils and greases from industrial activities.

In the sequence, the effluent is directed towards biological treatment, with a sequence of four lagoons, which carry out the removal of carbonaceous and nitrogenous organic matter, along with residual solids and pathogens. As a post-treatment, the effluent passes through a float, being then directed to the river.

The effluent used for the electrocoagulation tests was collected after the discharge of the decanters/grease traps, and was characterized by total Kjeldahl nitrogen (4500-NorgB), total phosphorus (4500-PE), pH (4500-H+B) and conductivity (2510B), in accordance with APHA protocols (APHA et al., 2005AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION - APHA; AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION - AWWA; WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION - WEF. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 22. ed. Washington, DC, 2005.).

2.2. Batch experimental system

The electrocoagulation treatment system consisted of a batch bench reactor composed of a 1-liter beaker containing 800 mL of effluent in each test. This system was maintained under constant stirring by means of a magnetic stirrer and a magnetic bar placed inside the beaker.

In order to provide the electric current that makes the electrocoagulation process viable, a direct current source, in which two metallic aluminum electrodes were connected and immersed in the effluent, was used. The electrodes were arranged at a distance of 7.8 cm and each plate was 10 cm long and 5 cm wide.

The best conditions for the treatment of the effluent were determined by testing different values for the variables: potential differential (pd) and hydraulic retention time (HRT).

2.3. Evaluation of the system

To verify the best efficiency, the removal of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) and Total Phosphorus (P) was considered. The values of electric current (A) were also recorded so that it was possible to calculate the current density (mA cm-2).

2.4. Experimental planning

The design used was the Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD). As two independent variables (pd and HRT) were worked, a complete 22 factorial was performed, including four axial points and four repetitions at the central point, totaling 12 tests.

Table 1 shows the number of tests with the coded and actual values, which were defined from pretests with the effluent. These pretests also showed that the addition of alkaline agents was not necessary and that the effluent had the necessary electrical conductivity for electrocoagulation to occur.

Table 1.
Number of tests with coded values.

From the results, it was possible to calculate the effects of the variables, the respective errors and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to verify the quality of adjustment of the obtained model, which related the response variable to the other independent variables tested, as well as the effect among these. The graphical representation of this model consisted of a surface chart, which aided in the determination of the optimum operating region of the system.

The regression analysis of the data obtained through the RCCD allowed for the adjustment of the parameters of quadratic models of the response variables, as a function of the studied factors and their interactions. Equation 1 represents a general model to be obtained, and the α parameters were adjusted by regression analysis.

R e m o v a l o f T K N o r P = α 1 + α 2 p d + α 3 H R T + α 4 p d . H R T + α 5 p d 2 + α 6 H R T 2 (1)

Where HRT is time in minutes and pd is the potential differential in volts.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Characterization of the crude effluent

Regarding the characterization of the crude effluent, the following values were found: 289.8 mgN L-1 for the total Kjeldahl nitrogen parameter, 38 mgP L-1 for phosphorus, 3.91 mS cm-1 for conductivity and a pH equal to 6.46.

In analyzing the values, it was observed that the majority of the parameters had high indexes, with the exception of pH. Corroborating with the found values, Bustillo-Lecompte et al. (2014)BUSTILLO-LECOMPTE, C. F.; MEHRVAR, M.; QUIÑONES-BOLAÑOS, E. Cost- effectiveness analysis of TOC removal from slaughterhouse wastewater using combined anaerobic-aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 134, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.12.035
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013...
report that wastewater from packing plants may have total nitrogen concentrations ranging from 50 to 841 mg L-1 and a pH range of 4.90 to 8.10.

Pan et al. (2014)PAN, M; WEN, X.; WU, G.; ZHANG, M.; ZHAN, X. Characteristics of nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from intermittently aerated sequencing batch reactors (IASBRs) treating slaughterhouse wastewater at low temperature. Biochemical Engineering Journal, v. 86, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2014.03.003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2014.03....
found, on average, 172.6 mg L-1 of total nitrogen and 52 mg L-1 total phosphorus, when characterizing packing plant effluent.

Palatsi et al. (2011)PALATSI, J.; VIÑAS, M.; GUIVERNAU, M.; FERNANDEZ, B.; FLOTATS, X. Anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste: Main process limitations and microbial community interactions. Bioresource Technology, v. 102, n. 3, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.09.121
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.201...
, in their work on the biodigestion of packing plant waste, characterized the effluent and found on average 150 mg L-1 of total Kjeldahl nitrogen.

3.2. Efficiency of removal

Figure 1 shows the removal efficiency values for TKN and Total Phosphorus parameters in the 12 tests performed.

Figure 1.
Efficiency of removal of TKN and total phosphorus parameters.

Different behaviors for the removal of TKN and phosphorus can be observed in the graph in Figure 1, such as a high efficiency for phosphorus and satisfactory removal of TKN.

For phosphorus, the lowest removal occurred in Test 1, 67.10% (±20,47), and the other tests showed efficiency above 99%. Nunes (2012)NUNES, J. A. Processos químicos específicos e tratamentos terciários. In: NUNES, J. A. Tratamento Físico-Químico de Águas Residuárias Industriais. Aracaju: J. Andrade, 2012. p. 175-208. points out that the use of chemical precipitation is common for the removal of phosphorus and, for this to occur, aluminum sulfate or the combination of ferric chloride with lime is used. With the use of aluminum sulfate, a 95% removal of phosphorus can be obtained, a result similar to the one previously found, as the electrodes used were aluminum.

According to Nunes (2012)NUNES, J. A. Processos químicos específicos e tratamentos terciários. In: NUNES, J. A. Tratamento Físico-Químico de Águas Residuárias Industriais. Aracaju: J. Andrade, 2012. p. 175-208. , the phosphorus is removed as phosphate (PO4 3-) and the chemical reaction outlined in Equation 2 occurs.

A l 3 + + P O 4 3 - A l P O 4 (2)

Gökkus and Yildiz (2015)GÖKKUS, Ö.; YILDIZ, Y. S. Application of electrocoagulation for treatment of medical waste sterilization plant wastewater and optimization of the experimental conditions. Clean Technologies Environmental Policy, v. 17, n. 6, 2015. http://dx;doi.org/10.1007/s10098-014-0897-2
http://dx;doi.org/10.1007/s10098-014-089...
applied electrocoagulation in the treatment of wastewater from hospital waste-sterilization plants; they removed 100% of the phosphorus present in the effluent.

While studying phosphorus removal and turbidity of pork effluent with aluminum electrodes, HRT of 80 min and current density of 50 mA cm-2, Mores et al (2016)MORES, R.; TREICHEL, H.; ZAKRZEVSKI, C. A.; KUNZ, A.; STEFFENS, J.; DALLAGO, R. M. Remove of phosphorous and turbidity of swine wastewater using electrocoagulation under continuous flow. Separation and Purification Technology, v. 171, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2016.07.016
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2016.07...
obtained a removal of 93.6% of total phosphorus.

Khennoussi et al. (2013)KHENNOUSSI, A.; CHAOUCH, M.; CHAHLAOUI, A. Traitement des effluents d’abattoir de viande rouge par électrocoagulation-flottation avec des électrodes en fer. Erudit, v. 26, n. 2, p. 135-150, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1016064ar
http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1016064ar...
, when treating wastewater from a slaughterhouse and packing plant with electrocoagulation, applying a voltage of 12 V, 25 min contact time and iron electrodes, obtained a removal of 95.4% orthophosphate.

For TKN, the removal efficiency values ranged from 35.26% (±2.73) to 67.15% (±11.61). Test 12 showed the best removal efficiency with 30 minutes of hydraulic retention time and 20 volts of potential differential, corresponding to 0.86 A of electrical current, and current density of 17.2 mA cm-2; however, excluding the least efficient test, the variation compared to the other assays was low, having a standard deviation of 7.76.

Kabuk et al. (2014)KABUK, H. A.; IILHAN, F.; AVSAR, Y.; KURT, U.; APAYDIN, O.; GONULLU, M. T. Investigation of Leachate Treatment with Electrocoagulation and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology. Clean Soil Air Water, v. 42, n. 5, p.571-577, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201300086
https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201300086...
applied electrocoagulation in the Leachate treatment and obtained a removal efficiency of TKN removal efficiency of 32%.

Khennoussi et al. (2013)KHENNOUSSI, A.; CHAOUCH, M.; CHAHLAOUI, A. Traitement des effluents d’abattoir de viande rouge par électrocoagulation-flottation avec des électrodes en fer. Erudit, v. 26, n. 2, p. 135-150, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1016064ar
http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1016064ar...
, in the same paper cited above, obtained a removal of 76.2% of total nitrogen.

The biological removal of the nitrogen present in liquid effluents is possible through a series of reactors, where the processes of nitrification and denitrification occur. These methods are efficient; however, they require more time and space since the removal of organic matter must occur first and then the specific removal of nitrogen.

In addition, the process of nitrification and denitrification also demands electric power since it is necessary to supply oxygen to the nitrifying bacteria to convert the ammoniacal nitrogen into nitrite and nitrate, and for homogenization of the denitrification tank.

Hu et al. (2013)HU, Z.; LOTTI, T.; KREUK, M.; KLEERBEZEM, R.; VAN LOOSDRECHT, M; KRUIT, J. et al. Nitrogen removal by a nitritation-anammox bioreactor at low temperature. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v. 79, n. 8, p. 2807-2812, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03987-12
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03987-12...
state that for both nitrification and denitrification processes, large energy consumption is required, resulting in relatively high costs for treatment systems.

In this manner, a high removal of nutrients in the electrocoagulation process was observed, using a significantly shorter time than in traditional biological processes.

3.3. Optimization of the electrocoagulation process

Through the results, it was possible to evaluate a mathematical model for the removal of TKN and total phosphorus.

Parameters with p-values less than 5% were considered significant, as can be observed in Figures 2, 3 and in Table 2, which represent the pareto charts for the removal of the parameters studied; the linear terms are associated with the letter L and the quadratic terms with the letter Q.

Figure 2.
Pareto chart for the removal of TKN.

Figure 3.
Pareto chart for the removal of total phosphorus.

Table 2.
Regression coefficients for the response variable NTK removal.

In Figure 2 and Table 2, it can be observed that for the TKN removal variable response the significant terms were pd (L), HRT (L) and HRT (Q).

However, for the total-phosphorus removal response variable (Figure 3), no term was significant, which was already expected when observing the behavior of the values in the chart of Figure 1, as similar removals were obtained for the majority of the assays. Thus, it was only possible to obtain a mathematical model for the TKN removal response variable.

It can be observed that the adjusted model for the TKN response variable was characterized by Equation 3.

R e m o v a l o f T K = 46.01776 + 4.25874 p d + 6.59238 H R T + 3.73182 H R T 2 (3)

The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the results found for the removal of TKN showed that the obtained model fits the data, since the p-value was 0.004685, with a variation percentage of explained variation (R2) of 91.12% evidencing a valid model. Figure 4 shows the response surfaces for the removal of TKN.

Figure 4
Response surface for removal of TKN.

For TKN removal, the response surface did not present an approximate range for the best removal conditions; however, it is possible to observe a tendency for a better removal, a wide range of pd and values over 30 minutes for retention time.

4. CONCLUSION

The objective of this work was to evaluate the removal of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphorus (P) through the electrochemical technique, and to optimize the potential differential (pd) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) variables in a batch reactor of electrocoagulation using aluminum electrodes.

The application of electrocoagulation in the treatment of effluents from pig slaughterhouses and packing plants proved to be efficient in relation to the removal of TKN and total phosphorus, obtaining maximum efficiency equal to 67.15% for TKN and 99% for total phosphorus.

The maximum TKN removal value was found in test 12, where treatment conditions were 30 minutes for HRT and 20 volts for pd, which corresponds to 0.86 A of electric current and a current density equal to 17.2 mA cm-2.

For total phosphorus, the only assay that removed below 99% was the first, showing that, for phosphorus removal, electrocoagulation is an excellent treatment option.

Through statistical analyses, it was only possible to obtain a mathematical model for the removal of TKN. However, the response surface chart did not present a defined range of the best conditions for the independent variables, but it was possible to observe the tendency for better removal across a wide range of pd and values above 30 minutes for retention time.

As suggestions for future work, pH can be evaluated as a variable, even if this implies a change in the initial characteristics of the effluent, in an attempt to increase the efficiency of nitrogen removal. Higher levels of electrolysis time can also be tested since the response surface graph showed a trend of increased efficiency with higher HRT.

5. REFERENCES

  • AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION - APHA; AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION - AWWA; WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION - WEF. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 22. ed. Washington, DC, 2005.
  • ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE PROTEÍNA ANIMAL - ABPA. Relatório anual. 2017. Disponível em: https://goo.gl/unpxGV Acesso em: jul. 2018.
    » https://goo.gl/unpxGV
  • AZEVEDO, A.C. G de; FEITOSA, F. A. N.; KOENING, M. L. Distribuição espacial e temporal da biomassa fitoplanctônica e variáveis ambientais no Golfão Maranhense, Brasil. Acta Botânica Brasilica, v. 22, n. 3, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062008000300022
    » https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062008000300022
  • BRITO, J. F.; FERREIRA, L. O.; SILVA, J. P. Tratamento da água de purificação do biodiesel utilizando eletrofloculação. Química Nova, v. 35, n. 4, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422012000400014
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422012000400014
  • BUSTILLO-LECOMPTE, C. F.; MEHRVAR, M. Slaughterhouse wastewater characteristics, treatment, and management in the meat processing industry: A review on trends and advances. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 161, n. 287, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.07.008
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.07.008
  • BUSTILLO-LECOMPTE, C. F.; MEHRVAR, M.; QUIÑONES-BOLAÑOS, E. Cost- effectiveness analysis of TOC removal from slaughterhouse wastewater using combined anaerobic-aerobic and UV/H2O2 processes. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 134, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.12.035
    » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.12.035
  • CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Teoria da eletroflotação. In: CRESPILHO, F. N.; REZENDE, M. O. O. Eletroflotação: Princípios e aplicações. São Carlos: Rima, 2004. p.1-12.
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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    08 Oct 2018
  • Date of issue
    2018

History

  • Received
    23 Jan 2018
  • Accepted
    24 July 2018
Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais em Bacias Hidrográficas Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais em Bacias Hidrográficas (IPABHi), Estrada Mun. Dr. José Luis Cembranelli, 5000, Taubaté, SP, Brasil, CEP 12081-010 - Taubaté - SP - Brazil
E-mail: ambi.agua@gmail.com