Comparison between Conventional Treatment Processes and Advanced Oxidation Processes in Treating Slaughterhouse Wastewater: A Review

Abstract

The blooming of the world’s human population and the transition of the human diet into a more westernized, high-protein diet has accelerated the production of slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) as the number of meat processing plants (MPP) has increased in the past few decades. Conventional treatment processes (CTP) used in treating SWW, such as anaerobic processes, membrane processes, and electrocoagulation, have significant limitations, such as low treatment efficiency, tendency to foul, and high energy consumption, respectively. While advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) appear promising in replacing the former, they lack economic feasibility when used as a single process. In this paper, the limitations and disadvantages of the CTPs used in treating SWW influents are evaluated. The idea of utilising AOPs as a “complementary” step rather than a single process is also discussed. The review paper further explores the variability of different AOPs, such as Fenton, Electro-Fenton, Sono-Fenton, etc., and their respective strengths and weaknesses in counteracting the limitations of CTPs. The idea of incorporating resource recovery into wastewater treatment is also discussed towards the end of the paper as a means of generating additional revenue for the industry players to compensate for the high operation and maintenance costs of SWW treatment. The integration of a new-generation treatment process such as AOP into CTP while being able to carry out resource recovery is a future hurdle that must be overcome by scientists in order to produce a versatile, powerful, sustainable, yet financially feasible and operationally pragmatic treatment system.

Toward a Brighter Future: Enhanced Sustainable Methods for Preventing Algal Blooms and Improving Water Quality

“…Costs for chemical treatments can be high, particularly with ozone and advanced oxidation processes, due to their powerful oxidizing abilities and high operational costs. Byproducts such as sludge from coagulation/flocculation and potential secondary pollutants from ozone treatment necessitate careful management to mitigate environmental impact [104][105][106].…”

Electrode material impact on microbial fuel cell and electro‐Fenton systems for enhanced slaughterhouse wastewater treatment: A comparative study of graphite and titanium

“…The predominant reliance on biological treatments, such as activated sludge processes and anaerobic digestion, encounters limitations when confronted with the diverse and recalcitrant nature of pollutants in slaughterhouse effluents (Derakhshan et al, 2023). The inefficiencies inherent in these methods result in the discharge of inadequately treated wastewater, contributing to water pollution, eutrophication, and the potential propagation of waterborne diseases (Yeoh et al, 2022). The critical need for a more effective and sustainable wastewater treatment solution tailored to the unique challenges of slaughterhouse effluents is increasingly evident in light of these environmental and public health concerns.…”

Integrated Hydrogen Peroxide, Sono, and Heterogeneous Photocatalysis Technologies: A Novel Technique for Ammonia and Phosphorus Removal in Real Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastewater

“…TiO 2 , ZnO, CuO, SnO 2 , and CdS are widely utilized semiconductors. Upon exposure to either natural or artificial radiation, these materials create holes in the valence band (h VB + ), electrons in the conduction band (e CB -), • OH, and superoxide radicals (O 2 •-) (Yeoh et al, 2022). Ultrasound (US) or sonolysis is another innovative AOP based on the successful disintegration of microbubbles (encapsulated gas spheres of 0.1-10 μm in diameter) through circular nucleation, propagation, and cavitation (Abdelhay et al, 2020).…”

“…Nevertheless, HPC and US still have some drawbacks, including a low mineralization of refractory contaminants, and a lower quantum yield due to a high charge recombination rate, respectively, while also incurring in high energy consumption, and high operating costs (Yeoh et al, 2022). The combination of H 2 O 2 , US and HPC, called the sonophotocatalytic process (SPCP), is a type of hybrid AOP that increases pollutant removal efficiency, and is one of the most distinctive methods developed in recent years (Al-Bsoul et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2021;Dogdu & Sen, 2022).…”