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Studies on biodegradation of vegetable-based fat liquor-containing wastewater from tanneries

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Abstract

Fat liquoring, a post-tanning operation is carried out on tanned leather using oils, fats, or greases in emulsion form to make soft leathers and to improve the physical characteristics of the finished products during leather manufacturing. Around 10–15 % of un-exhausted fat liquor is discharged in the process water as wastewater. The major components of vegetable fat liquor are triacylglycerols, which primarily consist of glycerol molecules esterified with long chain fatty acids. The presence of fats, grease, and oils not only causes choking of wastewater conveyance mains but also interferes with the oxygen-transfer efficiency in aerobic treatment process. The aim of the present study is to assess the rate of biodegradability of vegetable-based fat liquor-containing wastewater generated from tanneries for various food to microbial (f/m) ratio, i.e., 0.35, 0.25, and 0.15 g biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)/g volatile suspended solids (VSSs) day. The f/m ratio and reaction time were investigated in detail in aerobic batch reactor to arrive at the optimum ratio needed for biodegradation of vegetable fat liquor. From the aerobic biodegradation studies, it was established that at an f/m ratio of 0.15 and a reaction time of 24 h, BOD5 and chemical oxygen demand removals were 97.24 and 89.58 %, respectively. It was evident from Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and electrospray ionization–mass spectroscopy analysis that the triglycerides present in vegetable fat liquor were degraded effectively.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to the Director, Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Adyar, Chennai, India, for permitting to publish this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Technology Division, Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600 020, Tamil Nadu, India

    Chitra Kalyanaraman, K. Sri Bala Kameswari & V. Sudharsan Varma

  2. Chemical Lab, Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai, 600 020, Tamil Nadu, India

    J. Raghava Rao

  3. BITS-Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, 333 031, Rajasthan, India

    Sahil Tagra

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  1. Chitra Kalyanaraman
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  2. K. Sri Bala Kameswari
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  3. V. Sudharsan Varma
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  4. Sahil Tagra
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  5. J. Raghava Rao
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Correspondence to Chitra Kalyanaraman.

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Kalyanaraman, C., Sri Bala Kameswari, K., Sudharsan Varma, V. et al. Studies on biodegradation of vegetable-based fat liquor-containing wastewater from tanneries. Clean Techn Environ Policy 15, 633–642 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-012-0551-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-012-0551-9

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