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Virginia Tech

Alternative Waste Treatment System for Poultry Processing Plants

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The objective of this research was to design an alternative wastewater treatment system for turkey processing plants to recover energy and reduce N and P to allowable discharge levels. The objective included: 1. Determine the quantity and quality of biogas produced from the turkey processing wastewater (TPW) and COD reduction efficiency. 2. Design a waste treatment system and validate proof of concept for simultaneous P and N removal with a goal of attaining effluent concentrations of 0.1 mg/L and 4 mg/L, for P and N, respectively. A lab-scale complete mixed anaerobic digester was used for turkey processing wastewater (TPW) digestion and biogas recovery running for 6 months. Along with the anaerobic digester, a two-sludge system called A2N-SBR consisting of an anaerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor and an attached growth post-nitrification reactor was added for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal running for 3 months. Biogas production yields of 778 + 89 mL/gVSadded and 951.30 mL/g COD were obtained through anaerobic digestion. Also, an energy balance was conducted on a pilot scale digester for a turkey processing plant with wastewater production of 2160 m3/d and using a combined heat and power (CHP) enginefor conversion of biogas to heat and electricity. Although the biogas yield achieved in a complete mixed reactor was relatively lower than yields obtained in previous studies using reactors such as UASB, still a complete mixed reactor can be a good choice for biogas recovery from TPW and can be used for codigestion with some specific turkey processing byproducts for biogas recovery. Nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the A2N-SBR system were 47% and 75%, respectively, and during the study the nitrogen and phosphorus removal mean concentration in effluent did not meet the nutrient limits specified in the objectives. Average TP and TN in the effluent were 3.2 mg/L and 137 mg/L, respectively. Throughout the study, the nitrification reactor biofilm was not completely developed. Incomplete nitrification and poor settling might be the reasons that quality obtained in effluent was low. To improve the process condition in A2N-SBR, online monitoring of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) can help to optimize each stage in the SBR and stages duration can be set based on the results.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biological Systems Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Biological Systems Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2010

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Roshdieh, Rana
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Ogejo, Jactone Arogo
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Novak, John T.
  • Vaughan, David H.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-12232010-184914
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/46421

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Roshdieh, Rana. Alternative Waste Treatment System for Poultry Processing Plants. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46421