title: Wastewater treatment in molasses-based alcohol distilleries for COD and color removal: a review.
abstract: Molasses-based distilleries are one of the most polluting industries generating large volumes of high strength wastewater. Different processes covering anaerobic, aerobic as well as physico-chemical methods have been employed to treat this effluent. Anaerobic treatment is the most attractive primary treatment due to over 80% BOD removal combined with energy recovery in the form of biogas. Further treatment to reduce residual organic load and color includes various: (i) biological methods employing different fungi, bacteria and algae, and (ii) physico-chemical methods such as adsorption, coagulation/precipitation, oxidation and membrane filtration. This work presents a review of the existing status and advances in biological and physico-chemical methods applied to the treatment of molasses-based distillery wastewater. Both laboratory and pilot/industrial studies have been considered. Furthermore, limitations in the existing processes have been summarized and potential areas for further investigations have been discussed.
authors.affiliation: TERI University, Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003, India.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satyawali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008965:Molasses / Q000382:microbiology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D007220:Industrial Waste; D000431:Ethanol