Biotreatment of Industrial Effluents
Intended for practicing environmental engineers and technologists from any industry, this book discusses the treatment procedures using biochemical means for all types of solid, liquid and gaseous contaminants.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Biotreatment of Industrial Effluents
Chapter 18: Sugar and Distillery Waste
Sugarcane is one of the most common raw materials used in sugar and ethanol production. More than 30 billion liters of spent wash are generated annually by 254 cane molasses-based distilleries in India alone (0.2 to 1.8 m 3 of wastewater per ton of sugar produced). The effluent has a pH of 4 to 7, a COD of 1,800 to 3,200 mg/L, and a BOD of 720 to 1,500 mg/L; its total solids are 3,500 mg/L, total nitrogen 1,700 mg/L, and total phosphorus 100 mg/L. Several other countries in the world, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brazil, also produce sugar from sugarcane. The wastewater contains not only a high concentration of organic matter but also a large amount of dark brown pigment called melanoidin.
Alcohol Distillery Effluent
The Americas account for 66% of the world's ethanol production, followed by Asia-Pacific, which produces about 18%. The total production of alcohol in India during the year 1994 1995 was 1165 million liters. The residue of the distillation process is the spent wash, which is a strong organic effluent. The other wastes from the process include yeast sludge (which is usually mixed with spent wash), floor washes, waste cooling water, and waste from the operations of yeast recovery or byproducts recovery processes. About 12 to 16 L of waste liquid effluent is generated for 1 L of alcohol. The distillery wastewater, known as spent wash, is characterized by its color, high temperature, low pH, and high ash content; it contains a high...
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