EVALUATION OF THE BIODEGRADABILITY OF TAPIOCA STARCH WASTEWATER BY FUNGAL TREATMENT.

In this paper, the performance of the fungal treatment system with various hydraulic retention time (HRT) conditions for improving the biodegradability of tapioca starch wastewater was objectively evaluated. Wastewater used in the study was synthesized using tapioca starch. The experimental process was carried out in Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) operated with HRT of 6-48 h, mixed by a diffused aeration system, and adjusted to the optimum pH of 3.0±0.2. The fungal SBR system produced the effluent with COD, SCOD, and BOD in the ranges of 164-265 mg/L, 36-55 mg/l, and 21-45 mg/L, respectively. This corresponded to the removal efficiency of 83.79-90.31% for COD. The optimal condition for removing organic matter was found to be with the 24hrs HRT. After the fungal treatment, the readily biodegradable (SS) increased to about 13.10% of TCOD for HRT of 24 h. Furthermore, the BOD/COD ratio in the effluent was 0.275, which is about 1.53 times higher than that in the influent, indicating that the fungi utilization can improve the biodegradable fraction in the wastewater. Applicably, the effluent can be used for agricultural irrigation or discharged into a fishpond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]