The Use of Activated Sludge Plug Flow Aerated Reactor for the Treatment of Wastewater from Cassava Starch Industries

Abstract

The engineering and technology of the activated sludge system are well established and have been applied worldwide for the biological removal of organic compounds from wastewater. In our recent study, we used activated sludge system for treatment of wastewater from cassava starch. The effects of process variable such as aeration time, and airflow rate on the BOD removal and dissolved oxygen were studied. From the experimental results, it was found that residence time and air flow rate give significant effect on the BOD removal and dissolved oxygen content. The maximum removal can be achieved by the activated sludge plug flow system in our laboratory was 90 % (from 6000 mg/L BOD to 600 mg/L) and the dissolved oxygen content in effluent increased until 4.2 - 4.7 mg/L.