AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION OF DAIRY WASTEWATER BY FLUIDIZED BED BIO REACTOR.

A fluidized bed biological reactor was developed for the treatment of dairy wastewater. The aerobic treatment of dairy waste water was performed experimentally in fluidized bed reactor (FBR) using mixed culture bacteria. The characteristics of dairy waste water were studied. The reactor influent was raw dairy wastewater (pH 7.68, TSS 234 mg/l, Total dissolved solids 1190 mg/l, COD 3,026 mg/l, BOD 1482 mg/l, oil and grease 23.80 mg/l). The results show that the final COD was around 159 mg/L and the percentage reduction in COD is 95%. Using mixed culture bacteria as a support material, the COD, BOD and TSS reduction and increase in pH of the dairy treated effluent were estimated to justify the fluidized bed bioreactor as an efficient method which uses less energy, less space for the effective biodegradation of the dairy waste water.