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Synchoronised physical, chemical and microbial analysis of wastewater from University of Limpopo food- court

Thesis (M.Sc. (Chemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The present research work deals with the study of some of the important physicochemical
parameters of restaurant wastewater effluents collected from Mankweng
business centre along the University of Limpopo road. Studies revealed that
restaurants, food preparation facilities, engineering, paper mill, fine chemical, dyes,
paint, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and textile industries are some of the major
industries responsible for polluting the aquatic environments. This research attempts
to review the physical, chemical, and microbial analysis of wastewater from food
service establishments (FSEs) and extraction of fats, oil, and grease (FOG) and its
characterization using different analytical techniques. The elemental analysis revealed
that the concentration of elements such as zinc, lead and manganese were 6.44 mg/L,
0.02 mg/L and 0.53 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of these elements was
above the required South African National Standards 241 (SANS241) limit, that is,
≤5mg/L, ≤0.01mg/L and ≤0.4mg/L for Zn, Pb and Mn, respectively. The elevated
concentrations may be due to corrosion, acidic pH found in some samples and high
organic load. High organic content in wastewater influenced the production of oxygen
by microorganisms in-order to degrade the amount of waste in the wastewater and
this has led to high chemical oxygen demand (COD) level ranging from 1784-7196
mg/L and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) from 1101.32 to 3222.32 mg/L. The
study has demonstrated that the wastewater samples are contaminated with faecal
coliforms because the concentration of microbes Escherichia Coli (E.coli) with a Most
Probable Number (MPN) >200.5 in most samples, P. aeruginosa, Pseudomonas spp.
were too numerous to count (TNC) and total coliforms at the highest concentration of
9.1x103 CFU/ml which was influenced by change in pH of the wastewater, the FOG
content consists of both triglycerides and acrolein. The overall results highlight the
discharge of highly polluted wastewater effluent, these FSE have resulted in pollution
of nearby rivers thereby affecting the growth of vegetation and aquatic life. The results
of the present investigation point out the need to implement common objectives,
compatible policies, and programmes for improvement in the FSEs wastewater
treatment methods. / National Research Foundation and
Sasol-Inzalo Foundation

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/3608
Date January 2021
CreatorsRapeta, Mokgadi Gladness
ContributorsMulaudzi, V. L., Masoko, P.
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Formatxii, 141 leaves
RelationPDF

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