Characterization of rubber manufacturing industrial wastewater

Abstract

This study focuses on the characterization of rubber manufacturing industrial wastewater. The characterization of wastewater was based on the physical and chemical characteristics of the wastewater. The wastewater was collected from three sampling points at a wastewater treatment plant i.e., equalization pit, chemical treated water tank and final discharge tank. The result analysis shows the physical characteristics of total suspended solid, temperature, and turbidity. The chemical characteristics studied were Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), pH, ammonia nitrogen, heavy metals and Dissolved Oxygen (DO). At the equalization pit, the concentration of total suspended solid, turbidity, BOD, COD and Dissolved Oxygen were 327 mg/l, 399 NTU, 336 mg/l, 577 mg/l and 6.74 mg/l respectively. The concentrations obtained are high compared to the Department of Environment standard for industrial wastewater. The pH and temperature value are also high in equalization pit with 7.6 and 33.4oC, respectively. The concentration of ammonia nitrogen was low at the equalization pit and chemical treated water tank but was high at final discharge tank with 6.2 mg/l, 5.7 mg/l and 22.2 mg/l respectively. For heavy metal such as Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni) and Iron (Fe), the concentrations were 1.5 mg/l, 0.48 mg/l, 0.08mg/l and 2.93 mg/l respectively at equalization pit. The concentrations for all parameters are high at equalization pit accept for ammonia nitrogen which is high at final discharge tank.