Evaluation of the purification performance of a trickling filter
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITE MOHAMED BOUDIAF - M’SILA
Abstract
The dairy industry produces large volumes of wastewater containing high concentrations of
organic matter, such as lactose, proteins, and fats, which pose serious environmental risks if
discharged untreated. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment performance of a fixed-film
biological reactor for synthetic dairy effluent under laboratory conditions. The focus was on
monitoring the removal of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand
over five days (BOD₅), and pH evolution during treatment.
Different influent flow rates, ranging from 0.63 to 0.76 L/min, were tested to assess their
impact on biofilm activity and removal efficiency. The reactor showed high performance,
with COD removal reaching 88–90% at 0.63 L/min and BOD₅ removal peaking at 100% at
0.73 L/min. Despite slight fluctuations, the biofilm maintained a stable activity, and the pH
remained in the optimal range for microbial growth (8.0–8.4).
The results confirm the feasibility of using fixed-film reactors for dairy wastewater treatment.
These systems offer advantages such as compact design, operational stability, and high
organic load resistance. This work supports the development of efficient and eco-friendly
technologies for agro-industrial effluent management.
Keywords: Dairy effluent, Fixed-film reactor, COD, BOD₅, Biofilm, Wastewater treatment.