The Treatment of Cheese Whey Wastewater by Waste Activated Sludge and Optimization of Treatment Conditions with Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

The biological treatments are convenient and economical methods for improving the efficiency of industrial waste water treatment. Activated sludge is the most important biological wastewater treatment processes. Batch cultures for the treatment of whey with activated sludge were optimized through response surface methodology RSM. A second-order central composite design was applied to evaluate the effects of three independent variables aeration time, pH and percentage of sludge volume on COD removal percent. Optimum conditions were estimated through RSM at 23.4 h aeration time, pH=6.8 and 5.6 %v/v sludge volume/ wastewater volume and to achieve 38.1% COD removal. 1 g/L addition of PAC reduction COD until 48.7%.