Assessment of the physicochemical characteristics of by-products of cassava processing and their effects on biodiversity

Abstract

Cassava offers by-products of processing such as peels and effluents, which seldom are disposed of without proper treatments. These by-products are rich in organic matter and cyanogenic compounds, which can be potentially hazardous to the environment. For sustainable waste management and ecological balance, a systematic investigation was carried out to analyse the physicochemical properties of cassava peels and effluents and their effects on biodiversity. Standard methods were utilised to analyse these parameters. The results for the effluents ranged from 3.41–3.81 for pH, 2467.10–3630.97 mg/L for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), 2715.10–3329.90 mg/L for total solids (TS), 1888.20–2235.00 mg/L for total suspended solids (TSS), 869.00–1244.40 mg/L for total dissolved solids (TDS), 3.64–4.85 ppm for cyanide (HCN), and 0.11–0.21 mg/L for total nitrogen (total N). The chemical composition of the cassava peels showed ranges of 85.64–89.81% for dry matter, 12.00–19.50% for crude protein, 3.70–6.00% for crude fat, 2.67–4.59% for ash, 13.00–15.70% for crude fibre, 4.15–7.89% for sugar, 26.36–44.34% for starch, 11.17–12.87% for amylose, and 0.80–14.90 ppm for cyanide content. The analysis revealed that some of the characteristics of the cassava peels and effluents exceeded the standards set by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency of Nigeria (FEPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for drinking water and aquatic life. This study suggests that waste from these processing centres has contributed to environmental pollution in the surrounding communities. Therefore, effective waste management practices are recommended to prevent further environmental degradation.