Effluents Characteristics of Some Selected Food Processing Industries in Enugu and Anambra States of Nigeria

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness on the problems of environmental pollution not only in developing countries like Nigeria but worldwide. Among the sources of this problem is effluent discharge from industries, particularly food processing industries. To determine the extent of this problem in Anambra and Enugu States of Nigeria, some industries were purposively selected and their effluent characteristics studied. The industries include Premier Breweries and Life Breweries Plc, all in Onitsha, Anambra State, Anambra Vegetable Oil Production Company (AVOP) Plc, Nnachi, Enugu State, Diamond Breweries Ltd., 9^th Mile Corner, Enugu State and Coca-Cola Bottling Company Plc, Ngwo, Enugu State. The effluents were collected and analyzed for solids, organics, nitrogen, pH and total coliform using standard procedure. The results showed that total solids (TS) varied 440 to 703 mg/L, total suspended solids (TSS) from 0 to 230 mg/L and total volatile solids (TVS) from 223 to 514 mg/L. The pH of the effluents varied from 6 to 8, the COD from 684 to 3,192 mg/L, the TKN from 5.6 to 33.6 mg/L and the total coliform from 43 to 150 MPN/100 mL of effluent sample. Compared to the effluent limitation guidelines given by Nigerian Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the TSS, and COD for most of the industries are well above the limits while the TKN, pH and coliform count are within the acceptable limit.

Keywords: Food processing waste, Effluents, Waste characteristics, Environmental pollution