The purpose of this study is to evaluate the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity and color of wastewater from a pig slaughterhouse and packing plant through the electrochemical technique and to optimize the ΔV (electric potential difference) and HRT (hydraulic retention time) variables in an electrocoagulation batch reactor using aluminum electrodes. The experimental design used was rotatable central composite design. For turbidity, the values for removal efficiency obtained varied from 92.85% to 99.28%; for color, they varied from 81.34% to 98.93% and for COD, they varied from 58.61% to 81.01%. The best optimized conditions of treatment were at 25 min for the HRT and 25 V for the ΔV, which correspond to electrical current of 1.08 A and a current density of 21.6 mA cm⁻². The aluminum residue varied from 15.254 to 54.291 mg L⁻¹ and the cost of the treatment was US$4.288 m⁻³. The novelty of the work was the simultaneous optimization of three response variables using the desirability function applied to the treatment of wastewater from slaughterhouses.

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is the main residue obtained from sugarcane processing, and it has been widely investigated as a strategic renewable energy source. The typical recalcitrant characteristic of SCB requires the use of pretreatments (e.g., chemicals) to increase methane production through anaerobic digestion, which is normally reported to generate toxic effluents and increase operational costs. Based on this, the present study evaluated the efficiency of an inexpensive, alternative, and more sustainable method to improve the biodegradability of SCB and increase methane production by pre-storing it with acidic organic biowastes, such as cheese whey (CW) and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). Different fresh weight-based proportions of FVW (5:95, 10:90, and 15:85) and CW (10:90, 20:80, and 25:75) were soaked with SBC for 7 days at 25 °C. These treatments were compared with traditional alkaline pretreatment using NaOH at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% (w/v). The best result was obtained with SCB + FVW (5:95), being 520 ± 7 NL CH₄ kg VS⁻¹ (27.6% higher than the control) with degradation time (T₉₀) reduced from 13 to 7 days. Pretreatment with SBC + CW resulted in antagonistic effects due to process inhibition, while alkaline pretreatment with NaOH at concentrations of 5% and 10% similarly increased methane yield by 21.2% and 34.1%, respectively. Therefore, pre-storage of SBC with FVW proved to be the best strategy to increase methane production from SCB, while simultaneously avoiding the use of chemical reagents that result in toxic effluents.

The current study used statistical methods of quality control to evaluate the performance of a sewage treatment station. The concerned station is located in Cascavel city, Paraná State. The evaluated parameters were hydrogenionic potential, settleable solids, total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand in five days. Statistical analysis was performed through Shewhart control charts and process capability ratio. According to Shewhart charts, only the BOD(5.20) variable was under statistical control. Through capability ratios, we observed that except for pH the sewage treatment station is not capable to produce effluents under characteristics that fulfill specifications or standard launching required by environmental legislation.

The aim of this study was to isolate microorganisms that produce lipase and to assess the efficiency of COD removal intreatment of cheese whey under different operating conditions. The microorganisms were isolated from cheese whey and a commercial product; it was selectedthreemicroorganisms that obtained the best response to the lipolytic activity test through the enzyme index. Then, the microorganisms were inoculated in sterilized cheese whey samples, for two pH values (6.2 and 7.0), incubated at 35 °C and 150 rpm in shaker and the lipolityc activity and the efficiency of COD removal were measured in two time periods (24 and 48h). After incubation, it was observed that the treatments showed a good removal efficiency of COD for the pre-treatment and the isolated microorganism (S1) from the cheese whey showed the highest lipase production. Regarding the pH and time variables, there was not significant effect between the two evaluated factors. Among all treatments, T2 (S1, pH 7.0 and 24h) obtained more enzyme production (4.87 U mL-1).

Textile industries have as main characteristic the generation of effluents with high color, and efficient treatment techniques are necessary. In this context, this study compared the efficiency of the electrochemical treatment for color removal from synthetic textile effluent using two configurations of sacrificial electrodes, parallel plates and array of cylindrical electrodes. For application of the electroflocculation technique, an electrochemical reactor was used, in a laboratory scale, operated in a continuous flow. The synthetic textile effluent was prepared with preset concentrations of reactive dye Blue 5G and sodium chloride. Sacrificial iron (Fe) electrodes with different configurations were used: parallel plates and cylindrical electrodes. The Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) and electric current density (j) were controlled, and their effects on color removal were evaluated using a Central Composite Rotational Design (CCRD) composed of 12 trials. For the electrochemical treatment using parallel plates, the color removal efficiency ranged from 56.13% to 98.95% and for the electrochemical treatment using an array of cylindrical electrode, the color removal efficiency varied from 2.11% to 97.84%. The mathematical models representative of the process explained a high proportion of the total data variability, with a coefficient of variation of 99.49% and 97.21% for parallel plates and arrangement of cylindrical electrodes, respectively. The electrochemical treatment using parallel plates presents advantages over the configuration using a cylindrical electrode array, since the color removal efficiency is superior under the same operating conditions, representing economic and environmental gains.

This work evaluated the removal of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphorus (P) through electrocoagulation and used aluminum electrodes to optimize the potential differential (pd) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) variables in a batch reactor. The experimental design used was Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD). The application of the electrocoagulation in the treatment of effluents from pig slaughterhouses and packing plants proved to be efficient in relation to the removal of TKN and total phosphorus, obtaining maximum efficiency equal to 67.15% and 99%, respectively. The maximum TKN removal value was found in Test 12, where treatment conditions were 30 minutes for HRT and 20 volts for pd, which corresponds to 0.86 A of electric current and a current density of 17.2 mA cm-2. For P, the only test that removed below 99% was the first. Through statistical analyses, it was only possible to obtain a mathematical model for TKN removal. While the response surface graph did not present a defined range of the best conditions for the independent variables, it was possible to observe the tendency for better removal, a wide range of pd and values over 30 minutes for retention time.