Xen Yeoh Jen, Jamil Siti Nurul Ain Md, Syukri Fadhil, Choong Thomas Shean Yaw, Manap Mohd Rashidi Abdul, Daik Rusli, Koyama Mitsuhiko, Mobarekeh Mohsen Nourouzi
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Centre for Foundation Studies in Science of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Water Environ Res. 2025 Apr;97(4):e70069. doi: 10.1002/wer.70069.
In treating slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW), conventional treatment processes (CTPs) such as anaerobic processes, membrane processes, and electrocoagulation have various weaknesses, including limited effectiveness, fouling issues, and high energy consumption. Conversely, photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (PAOPs) have demonstrated superiority over CTPs. However, the treatment effectiveness of PAOPs significantly diminishes when SWW contains high levels of suspended solids (SS). This research explores the feasibility of pre-treating synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater (SSWW) using a novel yeast-assisted dissolved air flotation (YADAF) process to reduce the SS level. This process utilizes HO and catalase enzymes from inexpensive yeast, readily available in local markets. Under optimized conditions, this combination generates O bubbles to uplift particles as flocs, which can then be removed via a mechanical scraper before undergoing treatment with UV/HO/TiO PAOP under optimized conditions. The enhanced process yielded a 93.75%, 83.23%, and 94.35% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), total suspended solids (TSS), signifying increments of 41.15%, 56.59%, and 2867% in COD, CBOD, and TSS, respectively, compared to when using the UV/HO/TiO PAOP alone, unenhanced. This demonstrates that YADAF significantly amplifies the effectiveness of conventional UV/HO/TiO PAOP, making it a viable pre-treatment option that complements the latter in treating SSWW. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Yeast-assisted dissolved air floatation (YADAF) is a novel variant of dissolved air floatation (DAF) capable of removing 94.35% of TSS in 15 min. On top of that, when combined with advanced oxidation processes (AOP), the combined process can deliver 93.75%, 83.23%, and 94.35% reduction in COD, CBOD, and TSS, respectively, when used to treat synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater (SSWW). This novel process has never been used in the field of SWW treatment and can prove to be a valuable addition ready to be implemented into current treatment technologies.
