Post-treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater using electrochemical oxidation

Post-treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater from an abattoir in Perak, Malaysia by electrochemical oxidation was investigated in this study. Color, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) are among the
main forms of contaminants in slaughterhouse wastewater. The effects of current density, reaction time and influent COD on color, COD and BOD removal efficiencies and pH were investigated. Batch laboratory experiments were conducted using sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) as electrolyte and aluminum
electrodes. Experiments were conducted based on a 3-level factorial design and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the results. The optimum conditions were obtained as 220 mg/L influent COD, 30 mA/cm2 current density and 55 min reaction time. This resulted in color removal 96.8%, BOD removal 81.3%, COD removal 85.0% and pH
8.74. Electrochemical post-treatment of slaughterhouse
wastewater using aluminum electrode was effective in color, BOD and COD removal. The treated effluent conformed to the Environmental Quality Act (1974) standards.