Performance Efficiency Evaluation of a Modified Laboratory-scale Process for Rubber Wastewater Treatment Using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor)

Abstract

Industrial effluents such as wastewaters from rubber processing plants contain organic matter which favors growth of microorganisms and emits gases that have adverse effects on the environment. In this study, a modified model of treating rubber wastewater was developed. The performance of the model was evaluated and compared to the recommended standards. Effluents/outputs from the modified model were subjected to laboratory procedures and the data were analyzed using efficiency formula. Important chemical and physical properties of the effluents/outputs were determined. It was found that the performance efficiency of the modified rubber wastewater treatment process using moving bed biofilm reactor K1 in terms of COD removal, ammonia removal, total nitrogen content, and total suspended solid content met the suggested standards. Furthermore, the modified process demonstrated faster microbial growth and higher biomass in the aerobic tank than in the anoxic tank, but the overall combination of microbial growth and biomass in the anoxic and aerobic tank was responsible for the efficiency of the modified model.