Treatment of corn hulling wastewater by citric acidification and electrocoagulation in Peru

• Autores: Alvarez Mendoza, Milagros, Quispe Carbajal, Nayely, Vivas Galarza, Alexander Carlos, Contreras Perez, Alex Hugo, Huari Huaman, Olga Primavera
• Formato: tesis de grado
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad Continental
• Repositorio: CONTINENTAL-Institucional
• Lenguaje: inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.continental.edu.pe:20.500.12394/19494
• Enlace del recurso: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12394/19494; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-01036-0_4
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Aguas residuales; Cribado; Sedimentación; Electrocoagulación; Análisis de la demanda biológica de oxígeno; Sewage; Screening; Acidification; Sedimentation; Analysis of biological oxygen demand; https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#2.07.00

The research focuses on the construction of a treatment plant to treat wastewater generated during corn peeling, a key process in the agri-food industry. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a combined process that includes screening, sedimentation, citric acidification and electrocoagulation for the treatment of such wastewater. The experimental results indicate that, before the application of these treatments, the wastewater had a high load of organic pollutants, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values of 81.40 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of 66.50 mg/L, reflecting the significant presence of organic matter and suspended solids. After the application of the citric acidification and electrocoagulation process, a notable improvement in water quality was achieved, with final BOD values of 18.20 mg/L and COD values of 45.10 mg/L. This represents a significant reduction of approximately 77.6% in BOD and 32.2% in COD, which demonstrates the efficiency of this combined treatment in removing organic pollutants. These results largely comply with the Maximum Permissible Limits (MPL) established by Supreme Decree No. 003-2010-MINAM, demonstrating the high effectiveness of the treatment applied in reducing pollutants in agro-industrial discharges. Furthermore, this methodology presents a viable and sustainable solution for water reuse in agricultural and industrial activities, contributing to the efficient management of water resources in a context of growing scarcity and demand. Finally, it promotes the sustainability of industrial processes by reducing the need for water resources, which has a positive impact on environmental conservation.