Journal of Plant Biology and Agriculture Sciences

Effluent Treatment

The utilization of medium or substrate in the fermentation process is responsible for the product formation. Based on the type of the fermentation process and product formed and the medium used, the range of waste materials is produced. The type of the treatment to be applied for effluent depends upon various factors like the physical state of the effluent, degree of hazard of pollutant, chemical complexity of the affluent, and so on. The simple way of disposing of the waste produced is just to dispose of them no nearby water-bodies or to convenient open land. But, now it has become almost impossible to practice that measure due to increased population, increased industrial development, awareness on damages caused by pollution made industries in order to treat them prior to their disposal into the environment. The concerned company needs to install an effluent treatment plant in its premises, if company does not find a way to dispose of the waste or if the degree of composition is not suitable for the treatment by the nearby sewage treatment bodies. Effluents of fermentation do not contain toxic materials that affect the life around their disposal area. But unfortunately, effluents of fermentation nowadays do contain many toxicants that affect the flora and fauna by reacting with the microbes and drastically decreasing the dissolved oxygen levels of that area. In various ways the effluent can be treated viz. by oxidative ponds (lagoons), spray irrigation, well disposal, and incineration, etc. physical treatment process of sewage is done by filtration and sedimentation, chemical treatment process done by flocculation, coagulation, aggregation methods which are done by addition of various flocculants and coagulants like alum, ferric sulfide, calcium hydroxide, etc. finally with biological treatment trickling filters, biologically aerated filters, rotating biological contractors, activated sludge process comes with the aerobic way and anaerobic digesters, anaerobic filters, up-flow anaerobic sludge blankets come with anaerobic treatment processes.