Microbial Consortium–Based Conversion of Dairy Effluent into Biofertilizer

Optimization of bio-chemical degumming of Ramie fiber for improved strength & luster

“…Using the optimum F: Lq ratio, Ramie fiber suspension in water was heated at 121 °C for different periods (15, 20, 30, 40, and 45 min) to assess the impact of heating duration on the gum removal. The gum was extracted [ 11 ] from the treated liquor, and the COD [ 30 ] of the liquor was also assessed. Considering the above-optimized parameters, the chemical composition of the degumming solution (DS) was varied.…”

Green Gold from Dairy Industry: A Self-Sustained Eco-Friendly Effluent Treatment Plant

“…Therefore, the nutrient rich dairy wastewater gets converted to ammonia rich liquid by the enzymatic activities of microbes. This liquid demonstrates the properties of a liquid biofertilizer that can replace the use of fresh water and chemical fertilizer during agricultural [16,20] operations. Lack of additional aeration and ambient operation ensures savings in energy expenditure.…”

“…These pollutants are lost during conventional process of treatment due to biological action. A clear understanding of the pollutant to be treated [16], the microbial metabolic pathway that breaks down/converts the pollutant into plant acceptable form [17][18][19] and the kind of microbes known to harbor these pathways [17][18][19][20] can lead to development of processes which would convert the pollutant into a value added product [21]. The dairy wastewater with enhanced phosphate and nitrate along with a high carbon:nitrogen ratio [22] could be used directly for sustaining bacterial growth.…”

“…This property causes nuisance when the wastewater is left unattended. However, the same raw material (entire volume of dairy wastewater) can be selectively converted into ammonia rich liquid using selected microbial consortium under ambient condition with no additional requirement of aeration [16,20].…”

“…Six well characterized bacteria (Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) from environmental origin were combined in definite proportion [16] and put as a biofilm in a single unit (well designed) biotreatment plant [21] that replaces the storage tank, skimming tank, anaerobic digester, aerobic digester, settling tank, sludge tank and sludge drying bed of a conventional dairy effluent treatment plant, hence reducing the space requirement for setting up an effluent treatment plant by about 80%.…”