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Open AccessReview
A Critical Review of Systems for Bioremediation of Tannery Effluent with a Focus on Nitrogenous and Sulfurous Species Removal and Resource Recovery
by
Philadelphia V. Ngobeni
Philadelphia V. Ngobeni 1,2,
Ashton B. Mpofu
Ashton B. Mpofu 1,
Amrita Ranjan
Amrita Ranjan 1
and
Pamela J. Welz
Pamela J. Welz 1,*
1
Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, Symphony Way, Cape Town 7350, South Africa
2
Water Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Processes 2024, 12(7), 1527; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071527 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 29 June 2024
/
Revised: 17 July 2024
/
Accepted: 19 July 2024
/
Published: 20 July 2024
Abstract
Tanneries generate copious amounts of potentially toxic sludge and effluent from the processing of skins and hides to leather. The effluent requires remediation before discharge to protect the receiving environment. A range of physicochemical methods are used for pre- and post-treatment, but biological secondary remediation remains the most popular choice for the reduction of the organic and macronutrient fraction of tannery effluent. This review provides an update and critical discussion of biological systems used to remediate tannery effluent. While the conventional activated sludge process and similar technologies are widely used by tanneries, they have inherent problems related to poor sludge settling, low removal efficiencies, and high energy requirements. Treatment wetlands are recommended for the passive polishing step of beamhouse effluent. Hybrid systems that incorporate anoxic and/or anaerobic zones with sludge and/or effluent recycling have been shown to be effective for the removal of organics and nitrogenous species at laboratory scale, and some have been piloted. Novel systems have also been proposed for the removal and recovery of elemental sulfur and/or energy and/or process water in support of a circular economy. Full-scale studies showing successful long-term operation of such systems are now required to convince tanneries to modernize and invest in new infrastructure.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ngobeni, P.V.; Mpofu, A.B.; Ranjan, A.; Welz, P.J.
A Critical Review of Systems for Bioremediation of Tannery Effluent with a Focus on Nitrogenous and Sulfurous Species Removal and Resource Recovery. Processes 2024, 12, 1527.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071527
AMA Style
Ngobeni PV, Mpofu AB, Ranjan A, Welz PJ.
A Critical Review of Systems for Bioremediation of Tannery Effluent with a Focus on Nitrogenous and Sulfurous Species Removal and Resource Recovery. Processes. 2024; 12(7):1527.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071527
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ngobeni, Philadelphia V., Ashton B. Mpofu, Amrita Ranjan, and Pamela J. Welz.
2024. "A Critical Review of Systems for Bioremediation of Tannery Effluent with a Focus on Nitrogenous and Sulfurous Species Removal and Resource Recovery" Processes 12, no. 7: 1527.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12071527
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