Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Prima Indonesia Jl. Sampul, Sei Putih Baru, Medan 20118, North Sumatra, Indonesia
2
Laboratory of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan 20118, North Sumatra, Indonesia
3
Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan 20118, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Abstract
The effluent from the anaerobic reactor process produces a substrate in the form of tofu industry wastewater. This process involves an anaerobic process that is unable to remove organic nitrogen content. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the optimization of the hydraulic loading rate in the nitrification process of tofu industrial wastewater effluent using an aerobic biofilter. The waste samples were obtained from the Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (HUASB) from the tofu industry in Polonia Medan, Indonesia. This study included the measurements of solids in suspension (SS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), amonia, and nitrat using standard methods. The effect of hydraulic loading rate (HLR) on the removal of ammonia and COD had an impact; the higher the HLR, the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was not sufficient to reduce the wastewater substrate. The treated water in the biofilter reactor was brownish yellow, indicating the success of the process. The increase in nitrate concentration, which increased from 55.06 mg/L in the influent to 190.25-225.25 mg/L, indicated that complete nitrification was achieved. Furthermore, the optimization of HLR 38 hours at 0.1397 m3/m2 had a role in the nitrification process of the aerobic biofilter reactor to produce high nitrate. Therefore, HRT had a significant effect on the removal of tofu industrial wastewater nutrients such as COD and ammonia.
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