Characteristics of Effluents from a Meat Processing Plant

Abstract

A study on the characteristics of effluents from a meat processing plant has been made at three stages: (a) the slaughter of animals (sheep and goat) ranged from 340+-10 per day and the treatment of effluents was through oxidation ponds, (b) the slaughter was 400 animals per day and the treatment plant (anacrobic digestion) had been commissioned, and (c) the slaughter was of the order of 700 animals per day. The treatment plant had been at work. In the first stage, the effluents were being routed to oxidation pounds I and II one after the other with the total detention period of 19 days. The BOD by these lagoons had gone down by 50 per cent and the percentage total solids by 46 per cent. In the second stage, the efficiency of the treatment plant was worked out to be 85 per cent. The solid content fall was only 37 per cent. In the third stage, the Permanganate Value (PV), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) had reduced by 82 per cent respectively. The decrease in coliform counts was about 80 per cent. The BOD contribution has been worked out to be 555 gm/animal at the influent stage and 106 gm/animal at the effluent discharge stage.