doi: 10.17113/ftb.55.01.17.4520
General Characteristics and Treatment Possibilities of Dairy Wastewater – A Review
Aleksandar Kolev Slavov
University of Food Technologies, Faculty of Economics, Department of Environmental Engineering, 26 Maritsa Blvd, BG-4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Article history:
Received November 11, 2015
Accepted October 19, 2016
Key words:
dairy wastewater, wastewater composition, whey, biological treatment
Summary:
The milk processing industry is one of the world’s staple industries, thus the treatment possibilities of dairy effluents have been attracting more and more attention. The purpose of the paper is to review contemporary research on dairy wastewater. The origin, categories, as well as liquid by-products and general indicators of real dairy wastewater are described. Different procedures applied for dairy wastewater management are summarised. Attention is focused on in-factory treatment technologies with the emphasis on biological processes. Aerobic and anaerobic methods with both their advantages and disadvantages are discussed in detail. Consecutive anaerobic and aerobic systems are analysed, too. Finally, future research niches are identified.
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