Biodegradability evaluation of dairy effluents originated in selected sections of dairy production

Main goal of the study was present the results of some respirometric measurements of activated sludge biodegrading the substrate in the wastewater originated in selected sections of the dairy processing line. The following dairy production effluents were analyzed in the research: the pumping station wastewater (combined wastewater from all the sections of the dairy factory), the apparatus room wastewater, the butter section wastewater, the milk reception point wastewater, the cheese section wastewater and the cottage cheese section wastewater. Apart from that, sweet and sour whey, which are secondary products of hard cheese and cottage cheese production, respectively, was the subject of the research. The amount of organic matter being oxidized during a 5-day measurement session was calculated on 1 g of the activated sludge biomass. The research was conducted at the temperature of 20 °C and 35 °C at the applied sludge loading rate of A′ = 0.2 g BOD g−1 dry mass d−1, which ensured complete biodegradation.The results indicated a correlation between a technological process of dairy processing, an ultimate outcome of which was the wastewater analyzed, and dairy wastewater biodegradability. The results confirmed that all dairy processing effluents can be treated together, with the exception of whey, whose complex biodegradation demands may cause too much burden to any wastewater treatment technological system and thus should be managed within a separate installation.