Assessment of Real Confectionery Industry Wastewater: Characterization and Treatability with Coagulation-Flocculation

Although the content of confectionery industry wastewater varies according to the process; it is important to treat it with appropriate methods due to the high organic pollutants it contains. When these wastewaters from the confectionery industry are discharged without pre-treatment, they cause serious environmental problems such as eutrophication. In this study, real confectionery industry wastewater was taken from Gebze Plastics Organised Industrial Zone (Turkiye). Pollutant concentrations were determined by detailed characterisation of the wastewater. Lime (Ca(OH)2), polyaluminium chloride (PAC) and Ammonim Persulfate ((NH4)2S2O8) coagulants were added and chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphate (TP), orthophosphates (PO4-P), total nitrogen (TN) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) removal by coagulation-flocculation were investigated. In the study, COD, TP, PO4-P and NH4-N removal efficiencies were ≥86% and TN removal efficiency was 43%. Conformity of confectionery industry wastewater, which causes serious environmental problems such as eutrophication in case of direct discharge to the receiving environment, to the sewage discharge criteria after pretreatment was also investigated.