A Novel Effluent Treatment Process for Manufacturing Organic Fertilizer

Shashank Tiwari, Dr. S. Suresh

Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology,
Bhopal-462051, India.
Correspondence author: sureshpecchem@gmail.com

Abstract
Direct dumping of ethanol effluents from distilleries is one of the major cause of
increasing contamination of water bodies in India. The chemical content of effluents from
ethanol distillery were determined which showed that large deposits of nitrogen, phosphorous
and potassium were present in distillery effluents. By adding suitable reagents and applying
various unit operations organic fertilizer was manufactured from these effluents. The fertilizer
manufactured can be used for cultivation of various crops effectively. Thus, the effluents that
were of no use were efficiently converted to basic organic fertilizer which have a wide
application in the farming sector.
Key words
Ethanol, Effluent, Distillery, Organic fertilizer

Introduction
India being one of the largest producers of sugarcane in the world, a number of sugar
industries are located here (Fernando et al., 1980). The molasses generated as a waste byproduct from these sugar industries is fermented by using special yeast cells called invertase
and zymase for manufacturing ethanol (Sittig and Rao., 2010). Large amount of effluents are
released from these ethanol industries most of which are directly drained in water sources like
rivers and ponds without proper treatment (Chakrabarty et al., 1980). The direct dumping of these
effluents results in contamination of these water bodies thereby causing water pollution. With
the increasing emphasis on environmental protection in this modern world, it has been essential
to find some efficient method of dumping these effluents. One such alternative is to utilize
these effluents productively instead of dumping them (Chakrabarty et al., 1964). There are many
methods that have been developed for removal of impurities from ethanol effluents but most
of them are not economic or not available for purification from industrial point of view. Thus,
there is an urge to develop a method that should be economic and productive from commercial
and industrial point of view.
India being an agriculture oriented country, farming is the chief occupation of most of
the people here. Fertilizers are a basic requirement in farming sector for increasing the fertility
of the soil and thereby getting good productivity of crops from it. Due to the increasing rates
of fertilizers the farmers have been facing several financial problems to apply them in their
fields. Besides, continuous use of chemical fertilizers like urea, DAP and ammonium phosphate
have proved to be harmful to the soil (Mahimairaja and Bolan, 2004). So there is need to
develop fertilizers which are organic, nontoxic, cheap and easily available. Ethanol effluents
due to their high nutrient content have a possibility to be used as a fertilizer (Rao, 1991).
Manufacturing fertilizers from ethanol effluents is very economic as raw materials required for

producing them are abundantly available as a by-product in the distillery. Thus, producing
fertilizer from ethanol effluents will not only be cost-effective but it will also help in coping
with the effluent disposal problem that the ethanol industries have been facing from past many
years.
Physicochemical Analysis:
While producing one ton ethanol around 13-15 tons of effluents are discharged from
the distiller. Thus a large amount of waste is generated while manufacturing ethanol from
molasses (Sowmeyan and Swaminathan, 2008).
The effluent taken for the study purpose was obtained from G.M. Breweries Ltd, Virar,
Thane, Maharashtra, India. The physicochemical analysis of the effluents was done and the
results obtained were compared to the analysis done by (Mahimairaja and Bolan, 2004) and
(Chaudhary et al., 2013). The results are shown in Table 1. It was found that the pH of effluents
are very acidic and their COD and BOD values are quite high making them harmful for
domestic use (Ansari et al., 2012). The chemical content of the effluents were determined and
it was found that the N, P and K contents of the effluents are high besides having high yeast
cells and carbohydrates. Thus, it was decided to utilize this high N, P and K content of the
effluents which are very necessary to increase the fertility of the soil. Certain chemicals and
processes were used so as to decrease the toxicity of effluents and increase their nutrient value
to make them beneficial for the soil.
Table 1: Physicochemical properties of Ethanol Effluents
Parameter

Physicochemical Analysis
Tiwari and
Suresh (2014)

Colour
pH
Odour
COD

Dark Brown
3.8-5.0
Offensive
100,000-142,000

BOD
COD/BOD ratio
Total Solids

45,000-61,000
1.92
34,000-91,000

Mahimairaja
and Bolan
(2004)
Dark Brown
3.9-4.3
104,000134,000
46,000-96,000
1.81
30,000-100,000

Chaudhary et
al. (2013)

Total Dissolved
Solids
Total Suspended
Solids

28,000-42,000

80,000

Dark Brown
3.1 - 4.7
Burnt Gelatin
85,0001,00,000
42,000-51,000
1.98
70,000 95,0000
9,000 - 21,000

1200-1900

350

2500 - 5000

Manufacturing Process:
By using very basic and abundantly available non-toxic chemicals and applying basic
chemical engineering unit operations like evaporation, neutralization, mixing, filtration and
drying in proper sequence the ethanol effluents were tried to convert into basic organic
fertilizer. The series in which the operations were applied have been depicted in Figure 1.
In this process the effluents from the distillery are first clarified so that the insoluble
matter present in the effluents can settle down due to gravity thereby leaving a layer of clear

liquid. The insoluble matter left behind contains bagacillo which is a natural filter aid. It is
kept as it is and is utilized at a later stage.

Effluents from Distillery

Clarifier

Multi-Effect Evaporator

Hydrolysis

Conc.
H2SO4

Mixer

NaOH

Filter

Bagacillo

Drier (120C)

Basic Organic Fertilizer

Figure 1: Manufacturing Process of Organic Fertilizer from Ethanol Effluents.

The clear liquid is pumped out from the clarifier and sent to multi effect evaporators
where the liquid is concentrated so as to make it dense. Appropriate amount of sulphuric acid
is added to this densified liquid in order for proper hydrolysis to take place. All these processes
are carried out at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. After hydrolysis certain
quantities of basic alkali solutions like caustic soda are added to the hydrolysed product in
order to decrease the acidity of the slurry and neutralize it. The neutralized product is then pretreated with bagacillo which is the insoluble matter that settled down during the clarification
process. The product is then filtered in a rotary press filter to remove the liquid present in the
slurry. The filtered product is then dried at around 120C to remove the moisture content from
the product. This product obtained can be used as a basic organic fertilizer to increase the
nutrient value of the soil.
The basic organic fertilizer obtained contains 20-22% humic acid, 4-6% nitrogen, 78% potassium and 2-3% phosphate. When applied in soil as a fertilizer this fertilizer loosens
the soil thereby making it porous and soft. It also improves the activity of the nitrogen-fixing
bacterium thus increasing the fertility of the soil and enhancing the nutrient value of the crops
which grow in them.

The basic organic fertilizer obtained can be mixed in desirable quantities with other
inorganic fertilizers if necessary before applying them in fields. If required, some inorganic
chemicals like borax, ammonium molybdate and zinc sulphate can be added to the basic
organic fertilizer if the crops which are cultivated in them demand so. Thus, depending upon
the type of soil and the crops which are to be cultivated the basic organic fertilizer can be
compounded by addition of suitable additives.

Results and Discussion

Waste disposal problem which the ethanol production units have been facing from past
several years can be solved by this method of converting the effluents into organic fertilizer.
In general, the fertilizer required from cultivation of paddy and vegetables should contain 6%
of humic acid, 12% nitrogen, 4% phosphorous and 11% potassium. The fertilizer obtained from
effluents contains 20-22% humic acid, 4-6% nitrogen, 7-8% potassium and some 2-3%
phosphorous. Thus it meets the needs of most plants though not completely but to a great extent.
Moreover mixing required quantities of compounds to this basic organic fertilizer will help in
fulfilling the fertility need of most crops.

Conclusion
In todays world, where increasing water pollution has created a havoc in most
countries, present study can be an effective way to deal with the waste water treatment of
distilleries. The method being cost-effective utilizes waste from the distilleries which if drained
in water bodies contaminate them. The useful nutrients which are present in distillery effluents
help increase the fertility of the soil making it favourable for cultivation purpose. The method
can be utilized in industries by the mutual understanding of distillery owners and government
for the betterment of the environment.

Acknowledgement
We are thankful to Dr. Appu Kuttan K.K., Director of MANIT Bhopal for encouraging
and supporting us throughout the project. We are also thankful to Department of Chemical
Engineering, MANIT Bhopal for their co-operation and useful suggestions.

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