Treatment of Dairy & Distillery Wastewater by Anaerobic Digestion Process

Industrial wastewater generated from dairy and distillery industries contains high concentrations of biodegradable organic matter, suspended solids, dissolved solids, and nutrients, which may cause severe environmental pollution if discharged without proper treatment. In the present study, anaerobic digestion was investigated as an effective biological treatment method for dairy wastewater, distillery wastewater, and blended wastewater under different organic loading conditions. Laboratory-scale anaerobic reactors were operated to evaluate treatment efficiency based on parameters such as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, solids reduction, and biogas generation. The experimental results indicated significant reduction in organic pollutants along with stable methane-rich biogas production. The study demonstrates that anaerobic digestion is an economical and environmentally sustainable method for treating high-strength industrial wastewater while simultaneously recovering renewable energy. The treatment system also showed improved reactor stability under controlled loading conditions, making it suitable for industrial wastewater management applications.