Reduction of pollution of vegetable oil refinery effluents by flotation: Case of phenol, detergents, ammonium, nitrates, and total phosphorus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Wastewater from vegetable oil refineries is toxic due to contaminants such as phenols, surfactants, nitrates, ammonium ions, and total phosphates, which pose a serious environmental threat.These pollutants are detrimental to aquatic life, destroying biodiversity and affecting water sources, hence the need for proper treatment methods.Among the possible methods, flotation is an effective method to minimize environmental pollution.It offers significant advantages, particularly its high efficiency in removing pollutants, especially from industrial wastewater with high oil and grease content.The effectiveness of flotation in treating two types of wastewaters generated by vegetable oil refineries, namely process wastewater (PWW) and acidic wastewater (AWW), was evaluated in this study.The wastewater samples were collected at three different times of the year to determine the effect of temperature, pH, and pollution concentration on the efficiency of natural flotation.The results showed that wastewater with an acidic pH is more effective in natural flotation than other types of wastewaters, particularly in autumn when the temperature and production rate are moderate.This optimization resulted in average removal rates of 70% for phenol, 82% for detergents, 77% for organic matter, 85% for nitrates, 90% for ammonium ions, and 97% for total phosphorus.At an industrial scale, flotation as a pretreatment step upstream of wastewater treatment plants has proven necessary to reduce the environmental impact of vegetable oil refinery discharges.This approach improves pollutant removal efficiency, lowers energy costs, and eliminates the need for chemical reagents while preserving the regular operation of treatment plants.As such, it can be considered a sustainable and economically viable solution.
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $330
OpenAlex ID: W4409438457