Electrochemical remediation of chicken processing plant wastewater

Chicken Processing Plant (CPP) produces a large amount of wastewater containing a variety of readily biodegradable organic compounds, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Experiments were conducted on the removal of pollutants from CPP wastewater using electrocoagulation (EC). Two types of EC-reactors with horizontally and vertically arranged sacrificial iron electrodes were used for this purpose. The treatment efficiency of the CPP wastewater using iron sacrificial anode was checked by changing the pH of the mixtures, EC operating time, and the current density. EC was found to be a feasible process for treating the CPP wastewater. The results showed that COD, BOD5, fecal coliform, NH3-N, and oil-grease can be effectively removed by EC. Treatment mechanism was discussed by characterizing EC-floc through XRD, SEM/EDS, and FTIR techniques. The BOD/COD ratio for EC treated CPP was found to be 0.53. The optimal current density was determined as 4 mAcm−2. Vertical electrode assembly was more efficient to treat poultry wastewater than that of horizontal electrode assembly. EC operating time and current density have significant influences for improving removal efficiency.