Impact of Different RPM on BOD, COD, and Turbidity Reduction Using Natural and Synthetic Media in Dairy Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Considering the growing need for effective treatment and sustainability of dairy wastewater, there is an urgent need for novel techniques in order to reduce BOD, COD, and turbidity associated with high pollutant loads present in such effluents. Methods currently available will not be able to include multiple parameter optimization and handle the dynamic nature of characteristics of wastewater. Besides that, shortcomings of media performance, shear stress control, and operational flexibility render them ineffective in the real-world environment. This paper provides an integrated treatment approach using optimized Multiple Stage Rotating Biological Contactors (RBCs) along with various optimized methods for specific process limitations. Dynamic multiple rpm optimization of multiple stage RBCs enables the stage-wise speed segmentation for progressive pollutant reduction due to variability in BOD, COD, and turbidity loads. The HRT-Based Adaptive Biofilm Stimulation adjusts dynamically hydraulic retention time to optimize biofilm interaction in varied conditions. Subsequently, the analysis of amorphous medium, natural, and synthetic with porosity and surface area through AMPI helps in optimization during selection of the material. Also, RPM-Shear Correlation for Biofilm Stability identifies critical operational ranges stabilizing biofilms and sustaining removal efficiency. Post-treatment integration with the corresponding sedimentation and filtration units ensures further enhanced effluent quality, typically to <10 mg/L BOD and <10 NTU turbidity. Variable Load Simulation finally demonstrates robustness of the system against realistic levels of wastewater variability. Such an integrated approach yields BOD removals up to 90%, COD reductions up to 85%, and turbidity reductions of up to 80% with minimal differences among different dynamic influent conditions. This work establishes a benchmark for adaptive, high-efficiency dairy wastewater treatment by combining multiple optimization strategies and possible extension to other industrial wastewater applications.