Characteristics of the Wastewaters Generated from Food Operations

Abstract

To investigate the characteristics of the untreated wastewaters generated by food industry, water samples were collected from a milk and meat factories, from Bihor County in the year 2012. All samples were analysed in duplicate for chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, solid content, pH, chlorides, total nitrogen and phosphorus. The results of the chemical parameters of water samples collected from milk factory were compared with the values obtained by the chemical parameters monitored at the meat factory. The significance of differences between these values were studied. Wastewater monitored from milk factory presented higher values of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD, pH, suspended solids and chlorides concentrations than that of the wastewaters from meat factory. The wastewater from meat industry contain high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations.

Keywords: wastewater, food industry, chemical parameters

JEL Classification: A10