Which Yields with Wastes? Study on Pilot of the Efficiency of Water Treatment Plant— Case of the Sector of Algerian Tanning

Abstract

Tannery industries generate wastewater containing high concentrations of sulfur. Most of wastes are liquid (effluent). The river section and tanning are the source of most tannery waste. Dehairing is a process of separation of hair and epidermis. Lime and sulfides are used for this process. Thus, sulfur in wastewater dehairing occurs as sulfide. Today, catalysis is at the centre of major societal concerns about energy, environment and sustainable development. The discovery of new catalytic processes and the improvement of existing ones are also critically important for improving the quality of life while simultaneously reducing the adverse impact of human activities on the environment. With a substitution approach of a catalyst MnSO 4 by multiple wastes from tannery and the metallurgical sector, this study investigated the recycle of waste from dehairing process and waste from metallurgical industry. The results indicated 32% of oxidized sulfur for the first waste derived from process of depilation and 30% for the second waste from metallurgical process industry. A preliminary cost analysis demonstrated that the proposed solution is much cheaper than the discharging of waste and wastewater in a WWTP; however, the sustainability of the proposed solution provided a second alternative, to alleviate the operational costs of installations wastewater from tanneries, without significantly impacting the environment.