a novel effluent treatment process for producing organic fertilizer

7/26/2019 A Novel Effluent Treatment Process for Producing Organic Fertilizer

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A Novel Effluent Treatment Process for Manufacturing Organic Fertilizer

Shashank Tiwari, Dr. S. Suresh

Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology,

Bhopal-462051, India.

Correspondence author: [email protected]

Abstract

Direct dumping of ethanol effluents from distilleries is one of the major cause of

increasing contamination of water bodies in India. The chemical content of effluents from

ethanol distillery were determined which showed that large deposits of nitrogen, phosphorous

and potassium were present in distillery effluents. By adding suitable reagents and applying

various unit operations organic fertilizer was manufactured from these effluents. The fertilizer

manufactured can be used for cultivation of various crops effectively. Thus, the effluents that

were of no use were efficiently converted to basic organic fertilizer which have a wideapplication in the farming sector.

Key words

Ethanol, Effluent, Distillery, Organic fertilizer

Introduction

India being one of the largest producers of sugarcane in the world, a number of sugar

industries are located here (Fernando et al., 1980). The molasses generated as a waste by-product from these sugar industries is fermented by using special yeast cells called invertase

and zymase for manufacturing ethanol (Sittig and Rao., 2010). Large amount of effluents are

released from these ethanol industries most of which are directly drained in water sources like

rivers and ponds without proper treatment (Chakrabarty et al., 1980). The direct dumping of these

effluents results in contamination of these water bodies thereby causing water pollution. With

the increasing emphasis on environmental protection in this modern world, it has been essential

to find some efficient method of dumping these effluents. One such alternative is to utilize

these effluents productively instead of dumping them (Chakrabarty et al., 1964). There are many

methods that have been developed for removal of impurities from ethanol effluents but most

of them are not economic or not available for purification from industrial point of view. Thus,there is an urge to develop a method that should be economic and productive from commercial

and industrial point of view.

India being an agriculture oriented country, farming is the chief occupation of most of

the people here. Fertilizers are a basic requirement in farming sector for increasing the fertility

of the soil and thereby getting good productivity of crops from it. Due to the increasing rates

of fertilizers the farmers have been facing several financial problems to apply them in their

fields. Besides, continuous use of chemical fertilizers like urea, DAP and ammonium phosphate

have proved to be harmful to the soil (Mahimairaja and Bolan, 2004). So there is need to

develop fertilizers which are organic, nontoxic, cheap and easily available. Ethanol effluents

due to their high nutrient content have a possibility to be used as a fertilizer (Rao, 1991).

Manufacturing fertilizers from ethanol effluents is very economic as raw materials required for


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producing them are abundantly available as a by-product in the distillery. Thus, producing

fertilizer from ethanol effluents will not only be cost-effective but it will also help in coping

with the effluent disposal problem that the ethanol industries have been facing from past many

years.

Physicochemical Analysis:

While producing one ton ethanol around 13-15 tons of effluents are discharged from

the distiller. Thus a large amount of waste is generated while manufacturing ethanol from

molasses (Sowmeyan and Swaminathan, 2008).

The effluent taken for the study purpose was obtained from G.M. Breweries Ltd, Virar,

Thane, Maharashtra, India. The physicochemical analysis of the effluents was done and the

results obtained were compared to the analysis done by (Mahimairaja and Bolan, 2004)and

(Chaudhary et al., 2013). The results are shown inTable 1.It was found that the pH of effluents

are very acidic and their COD and BOD values are quite high making them harmful for

domestic use (Ansari et al., 2012). The chemical content of the effluents were determined andit was found that the N, P and K contents of the effluents are high besides having high yeast

cells and carbohydrates. Thus, it was decided to utilize this high N, P and K content of the

effluents which are very necessary to increase the fertility of the soil. Certain chemicals and

processes were used so as to decrease the toxicity of effluents and increase their nutrient value

to make them beneficial for the soil.

Table 1: Physicochemical properties of Ethanol Effluents

Parameter Physicochemical Analysis

Tiwari and

Suresh (2014)

Mahimairaja

and Bolan

(2004)

Chaudhary et

al. (2013)

Colour Dark Brown Dark Brown Dark Brown

pH 3.8-5.0 3.9-4.3 3.1 - 4.7

Odour Offensive - Burnt Gelatin

COD 100,000-142,000 104,000-

134,000

85,000-

1,00,000

BOD 45,000-61,000 46,000-96,000 42,000-51,000

COD/BOD ratio 1.92 1.81 1.98

Total Solids 34,000-91,000 30,000-100,000 70,000 -

95,0000

Total Dissolved

Solids

28,000-42,000 80,000 9,000 - 21,000

Total Suspended

Solids

1200-1900 350 2500 - 5000

Manufacturing Process:

By using very basic and abundantly available non-toxic chemicals and applying basic

chemical engineering unit operations like evaporation, neutralization, mixing, filtration and

drying in proper sequence the ethanol effluents were tried to convert into basic organic

fertilizer. The series in which the operations were applied have been depicted in Figure 1.

In this process the effluents from the distillery are first clarified so that the insolublematter present in the effluents can settle down due to gravity thereby leaving a layer of clear


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The basic organic fertilizer obtained can be mixed in desirable quantities with other

inorganic fertilizers if necessary before applying them in fields. If required, some inorganic

chemicals like borax, ammonium molybdate and zinc sulphate can be added to the basic

organic fertilizer if the crops which are cultivated in them demand so. Thus, depending upon

the type of soil and the crops which are to be cultivated the basic organic fertilizer can be

compounded by addition of suitable additives.

Results and Discussion

Waste disposal problem which the ethanol production units have been facing from past

several years can be solved by this method of converting the effluents into organic fertilizer.

In general, the fertilizer required from cultivation of paddy and vegetables should contain 6%

of humic acid, 12% nitrogen, 4% phosphorous and 11% potassium. The fertilizer obtained from

effluents contains 20-22% humic acid, 4-6% nitrogen, 7-8% potassium and some 2-3%

phosphorous. Thus it meets the needs of most plants though not completely but to a great extent.Moreover mixing required quantities of compounds to this basic organic fertilizer will help in

fulfilling the fertility need of most crops.

Conclusion

In todays world, where increasing water pollution has created a havoc in most

countries, present study can be an effective way to deal with the waste water treatment of

distilleries. The method being cost-effective utilizes waste from the distilleries which if drained

in water bodies contaminate them. The useful nutrients which are present in distillery effluentshelp increase the fertility of the soil making it favourable for cultivation purpose. The method

can be utilized in industries by the mutual understanding of distillery owners and government

for the betterment of the environment.

Acknowledgement

We are thankful to Dr. Appu Kuttan K.K., Director of MANIT Bhopal for encouraging

and supporting us throughout the project. We are also thankful to Department of Chemical

Engineering, MANIT Bhopal for their co-operation and useful suggestions.

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