A comprehensive review on utilization of wastewater from coffee processing

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Industrial Biotechnology

Background:

• The coffee processing industry is a significant contributor to global and national economies.
• Wet coffee processing generates substantial volumes of high-strength wastewater, posing environmental risks.
• This wastewater is characterized by high BOD (up to 20,000 mg/l), COD (up to 50,000 mg/l), and acidity (pH < 4).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss various treatment methods for coffee processing wastewater.
• To present the composition of this challenging industrial effluent.
• To explore technical solutions for effective wastewater treatment.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing research on coffee processing wastewater treatment.
• Analysis of wastewater characteristics from wet coffee processing.
• Discussion of different treatment approaches, including post-treatment with batch aeration following anaerobic digestion.

Main Results:

• Wet coffee processing wastewater presents significant treatment challenges due to its high organic load and acidity.
• Various treatment methods have been investigated, with batch aeration showing potential as a post-treatment step.
• Effective treatment is crucial to mitigate the environmental impact of coffee processing effluents.

Conclusions:

• Systematic treatment of coffee processing wastewater is essential for environmental protection.
• A combination of anaerobic digestion and aerobic post-treatment methods, such as batch aeration, can be effective.
• Further research and implementation of advanced treatment technologies are needed to address the high-strength nature of this effluent.