6th European Waste Water Management Conference & Exhibition ZERO DISCHARGE OF WASTEWATER FROM JUICE MAKING INDUSTRY USING VERMI- BIO-FILTRATION TECHNOLOGY Ghatnekar, S.D., Ghalsala-Dighe, D.S. and Ghatnekar, S.S., Biotechnology Resource Centre, India Email: [email protected] The paper describes the novel vermi-bio-filtration technology developed by BRC to treat the liquid effluents produced by Gujrat based juice making industry into bio-clean and bio-safe water. The treated bio-clean water can be used to clean floors and vessels as well as for any secondary purpose except for drinking. Around 80-85 sq. m area is required to set-up this novel plant having capacity to treat 12,000 liters of effluents everyday. The multi-stage plant consists of four vermi-bio-filters. The principle of trickling filter is used in the system. Each vermi-bio-filter is accompanied by a sump and upper layer consists of sterilized bedding material inclusive of selected microorganisms, enzymes and worms. This layer has to be replaced after 6-8 months and the resultant biomass with specific pre-treatment could be used as pro-biotic nutrient for the crops. The COD of wastewater was reduced from 12,000 ppm to less than 200 ppm. The total recurring cost to treat 12,000 liters effluents everyday works out to be Rs. 50-60 (£ 0.75-85) whereas, in the conventional ETP plant, the running costs will be Rs. 5000-6000 (£ 7.5-10). The capital cost of the plant is also 6-7 times less than the conventional ETP plant. In fine, the implementation of this innovative technology results not only into pollution abatement but into zero discharge as well. Keywords Earthworms, enzymes, microorganisms, pollution abatement, vermi-bio-filter, wastewater, zero discharge. Introduction In the recent past, developing countries like India have changed their approach towards the treatment of liquid effluents. The research has been intensively directed towards simpler, energy saving, environmentally bio-safe and cost-effective technological solutions. In addition, the environmental regulations by Pollution Control Boards have undergone vast changes. As a result, conventional treatment technologies have been further refined and new technologies for wastewater treatment are being implemented and/or are in the development stage to meet increasingly more stringent water quality criteria (Kumar et al. 2008). Today, most of the wastewater treatment plants have started looking for biotechnological alternatives in their systems. Apart from the benefits of improved capacity, efficiency and lowered operative costs, www.ewwmconference.com Organised by Aqua Enviro Technology Transfer 6th European Waste Water Management Conference & Exhibition microorganisms, enzymes and earthworms also keep the treatment process as natural as possible. Amongst the varied biotechnological methods of wastewater treatment adopted, vermiculture biotechnology and microbial wastewater treatments are gaining wide popularity. Earthworms have proved to be master bio-processing agents for the management of organic effluents from diverse sources ranging from domestic sewage to industrial refuse (Ghatnekar et al. 2000). Startlingly, they convert effluents that are an undesirable nuisance into coveted plant probiotics in the form of soil-conditioners. The use of microorganisms is also considered as an integral part of the wastewater treatment process. Higher concentration of microorganisms is able to remove the organic matter from the water at a faster rate, particularly in the case of lagoon systems where it can take several months for the complete degradation process. In this context, Biotechnology Resource Centre, India has developed a novel technology using multi-stage vermi-bio-filters with the key objective of converting industrial liquid effluents into ‘bio-safe’ and ‘bio-clean’ water. Since last 30 years, Biotechnology Resource Centre, India has contributed towards uniting the environment and economy by developing innovative, ‘bio-safe’ waste treatment technologies of global importance (Ghatnekar and Kavian 1992; Ghatnekar et al. 2009a). BRC has successfully commissioned vermiculture-based effluent treatment plant (ETP) in diverse industrial units (Ghatnekar et al. 1995; Kavian and Ghatnekar 1999). The developed “three-tier vermiculture biotechnology” involves the synergistic action of selected enzymes, microorganisms and earthworms for degradation of complex organic wastes in both the solid and liquid forms and convert them into useful plant probiotics (Ghatnekar et al. 2009a,b). Vermi-bio-filtration is a relatively new technology to process organically polluted water using earthworms as biofilters (Ghatnekar and Kavian, 2000, Sinha et al. 2007; Li et. al. 2009). Biotechnology Resource Centre (BRC) has developed a new treatment technology incorporating the use of microorganisms, earthworms and enzymes to convert the redundant waste water into bio- safe and bio-clean water which can be used for various secondary purposes except for drinking. The vermi-bio-filtration-based wastewater treatment plant has been successfully commissioned by BRC at Orient Vegetexpo Ltd., Dindori, Nashik (Ghatnekar et al. 2000) and in gelatine manufacturing company at Gujarat (Ghatnekar et al. 2010). In fact in the last four years this technology is implemented in many chemical industrial set ups in Vadodara, Gujarat resulting into zero discharge of wastewater. This paper illustrates the use of state-of-the-art vermi-bio-filtration technology to treat the redundant wastewater from Gujarat based juice industry into “bio-clean” and “bio-safe” water. This water is successfully used by the industry for secondary purpose like vessel and floor washing, toilet-flushing, gardening and irrigation etc. except for human consumption. www.ewwmconference.com Organised by Aqua Enviro Technology Transfer 6th European Waste Water Management Conference & Exhibition The scenario: Wastewater from juice making industry The juice making industry in Gujarat produces around 12,000 litres of liquid effluent everyday. This effluent mainly contains traces of fruit pulp, sugars and chemical preservatives used for juice processing and also some organic solvents used for the washing the vessels after juice production. Due to these additives, COD of the wastewater is as high as 12,000-14,000 ppm. In addition, the sugar content is around 1,800-2,000 ppm. The organic solvents (approximately 2% of the wastewater) also make the situation worse for the treatment of this wastewater. Due to this and the stringent norms put forth by Gujarat Pollution Control Board, discharge of this wastewater was a major challenge for the company. The treatment of this enormous quantity of wastewater was a big financial burden for the concerned industry. The major setback in the juice industry effluent treatment is low pH values, imbalance of nutrients and considerable fluctuation in the quantity of effluent and waste matter produced (Austerman-Haun et. al., 1997). Ozbas et. al. (2006) tried reducing the high COD levels of raw effluents from juice industry with the help of aerobic and anaerobic biological effluent treatments. Similar studies were carried out by El-Kamah et. al. (2010) using batch activated sludge (AS) system and two-stage up-flow anaerobic sponge reactors (UASRs). BRC, India developed tailor-made treatment technology for the concerned industry with the idea of ‘zero-discharge’ of the wastewater. This treatment includes the application of vermi-bio- filtration technology to convert the liquid effluent using synergistic action of the selected microorganisms, enzymes and earthworms into bio-clean and bio-safe crystal clear water. This water can be used for secondary purpose within the industry like cleaning, washing of plant reactors and floor, gardening and toilet use etc. Application of this treatment technology has not only helped the industry but protecting the environment too. Vermi-bio-filter Treatment Technology The vermi-bio-filtration technology involves use of synergistic activity of the selected microorganisms, enzymes and earthworms for the degradation of toxins from the waste water converting it into “bio-clean” and “bio-safe” crystal clear water. This technology has proved to be the best environment -friendly and cost-effective solution for this industry. Treatment Set up Around 80-85 sq. m area is required to set-up this novel plant having capacity to treat 12,000 Liters of effluents every day. The four-stage vermi-bio-filter plant consists of four ‘Sintex’ tanks each of 10,000 liters capacity (Figure 1 & 2). All the four tanks are connected together. The principle of trickling filter is used in the system. The lower most layer of each tank consists of coarse rubble. This is followed by layer of semi-crushed bricks and double layer of gravel and fine sand. The upper most layer consists of semi-sterilized bedding material inoculated with selected and effective microorganisms, enzymes and earthworms. The topmost layer however, needs to be replaced after six-eight months of operation. All four tanks have been planted with 25 seedlings of Canna. The roots of these plants absorb and degrade the pollutants by osmotic www.ewwmconference.com Organised by Aqua Enviro Technology Transfer 6th European Waste Water Management Conference & Exhibition filtration apart from giving aesthetic and ornamental appearance to the vermi-bio-filtration system. Figure 1: Vermi-bio-filter tank set up Figure 2: Vermi-bio-filters with buffer tank The treatment plant is designed for