Discoloration test of a slaughterhouse effluent by adsorption on two adsorbents produced from sawdust of Khaya senegalensis and Pinus sp

Abstract The aim of this work is to valorise wood waste in the discoloration of slaughterhouse effluent by the adsorption principle. To achieve this, two adsorbents were made from sawdust species Kaicedra (Khaya senegalensis) and Pin (Pinus sp). A slaughterhouse effluent of cows was sampled in the town of Ngaoundere and characterized. An experimental design was used to determine the minimum values of adsorbent mass and agitation time required for better turbidity reduction of the slaughterhouse effluent. The results obtained reveal that the two adsorbents produced are more microporous than macroporous with specific surface areas ranging from 39.40 m2/g to 79.65 m2/g for Kaicedra and Pin, respectively. The effluent of the slaughterhouse to be treated is turbid, conductible and rich in sulphate. The discoloration tests of this effluent with the two adsorbents produced made it possible to reduce more than 75% of all the above-mentioned polluting loads. Under the optimum pair of factors (adsorbent mass - agitation time), it is possible on an industrial scale to use almost 200 g of Kaicedra adsorbent or 550 g of Pin adsorbent to remove more than 90% of the turbidity of 100 L of slaughterhouse effluent stirred for 1h.