UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

ENVIRONMENTAL & BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

DESIGN OF A BIOLOGICAL SLAUGHTERHOUSE

WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM (USING AN
ANAEROBIC BAFFLE REACTOR CONSTRUCTED
WETLAND SYSTEM)
< CASE STUDY OF KISERIAN
SLAUGHTERHOUSE>
Mwangi Simon Thuku
F21/2492/2009
Supervisors : Mr. Orodi Odhiambo
Eng. D. A. Mutuli

BACKGROUND
Approximated slaughterhouse waste content and NEMA standards
for disposal into the environment
Waste Content

Slaughterhouse
(approx.)

NEMA Disposal
Standards

BOD 5days at 20 oC

1000 4000 mg/L

30 mg/l

COD

2000 10000 mg/L

50 mg/l

Oil and grease

High

Nil

Total Suspended Solids 200 1500 mg/L

30 mg/l

Total Nitrogen

100mg/l
Johns et al., 1995; Manjunath et al., 2000, NEMA

BACKGROUND Contd
Treatment Options
Anaerobic treatment + activated sludge
Anaerobic treatment + contact aeration
Activated sludge + chemical coagulation
Contact aeration + chemical coagulation.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
This waste water flows to R.
Kiserian and eventually gets to
Kiserian Dam.
This causes eutrophication and
anoxia in the water bodies.
Waste from slaughterhouses
also leads to air and soil
pollution
Pre- treated Wastewater getting into the streams
Parameter

pH

TSS, mg/l TDS, mg/l

COD, mg/l BOD5mg/l NH4+N (N)mg/l

Content

7.75

2315.25

3262.5

3070

936.25

141.5

Site Analysis
Kiserian is a settlement in
Kajiado county
Habitants are mainly
pastoralist community
Warm and Temperate
climate.
Rainfall =833mm
Temperature = 17.8

OverallOBJECTIVES
objective
To design a biological slaughterhouse wastewater
treatment system
Specific Objectives
i.To analyze the amount and the content of
wastewater
ii.To establish pertinent parameters for design of a
biological slaughterhouse waste water treatment
system.
iii.To use the parameters from (ii) to size the baffle
reactor and the constructed wetland.

STATEMENT OF THE
Survey work
SCOPE

Carrying out tests

Determination of System Design Parameters
Making detailed engineering drawings

Literature review
Treatment Process ( primary, secondary and tertiary
treatment)
Why anaerobic?
Anaerobic Baffle reactor (improved septic tank)
Constructed Wetland

Methodology
Survey

Soil and waste

water sampling

Laboratory tests
(soil & waste
water)

Determining the
efficiency of
ABR

ABR volume
determination

Result analysis

Designing the
wetland

Structural
design of the
ABR

Theoretical Framework
Chemical oxygen demand,
Biochemical Oxygen Demand, BOD5,mg/L =

Design Criteria for an

Hydraulic Retention time, HRT

Anaerobic baffle reactor

>24 hours at maximum sludge
depth and scum accumulation

Sludge Accumulation Rate, SAR

Depending on TSS removal rate

and waste water flow

Sludge and Scum Accumulation

Volume

Sludge Accumulation Rate

multiplied by flow rate

Desludging interval

>1 year

Number of upflow chamber, N

>2

Maximum upflow velocity, v

1.4 2m/h
Sasse (1998), Wanasen (2003), Foxon et al., (2004) etc

Results
Parameter (ABR)m

Formula

Results

Flow rate, Q

(200 x C) + ( 100 x S)

14.5m3/day

Length of upflow chamber, Lc

=< half depth

1m

Maximum Peak Upflow Velocity,

Vp
Area of upflow chamber, Au

Q/t

2.4167m3/h

Vp/v

1.343m2

Width of the chamber, Cw

Cw/Lc

1.343m2

Actual upflow velocity, Va

Vp/(Lc x Cw)

1.208 m/h

Actual working volume, V

Cw x d x (Lc+ Ld)N

30 m3

Hydraulic Retention Time, HRT

V/Q

2 days

BOD removal

BODef = BODin e- Kt x T

135.18 mg/l

Organic Loading Rate

(CODin x Q)/ V

1.314 kg COD/m3.d

2m

Results Contd
Parameter

Value

Results

BOD5 removal, percent

80 to 90%

93.625mg/l

COD removal , mass

1.6 x BOD5, removal

1348.2mg/l

Biogas production

0.5m3/kg COD removed

9.77 m3

Methane production

0.35m3/kg COD removed

6.84m3
Leslie C.P. et al, 1999

Results Contd
Parameter (CW)

Formulae

Water Budget

Qe = Qi + (P ET) As

Surface Area of the system, As

As = (Qave(ln Co ln Ce))/Kt x d x n

Aspect Ratio

between 2:1 to 3:1 (Mitsch et.al 2007)

Retention Time ,t

(Lwyn)/Q (Crites et.al, 2006)

Bed Slope

0.5% to 1%

Qi
14.5m3/d

126.22
As = m
width = 7.94 m
2

Length = 2 x 9 = 16 m

y = 0.7 m
t = 1.85 days
dh = 0.01 x 15 = 0.15m
slope is taken to be 1.5

Drawings

Drawings

Drawings

Drawings

Drawings

Conclusion
Objectives of the design project were met.
slaughterhouse wastewater was observed to have high content of waste.
The BOD5 removal efficiency for the ABR was found to be 90% (i.e. from
936.25mg/l to 93.625mg/l) with a HRT of 2.38days. The organic lading in the
ABR was found to be 1.314 kg COD/m3.d (should range between 1 3 kg
COD/m3.d).
The CW reduced the concentration of nitrates in the waste water from 141.5
mg/l to 100 mg/l and the BOD from 93.625mg/l to 15.62mg/l.
System was found to have a 98.4% BOD reduction

Recommendations
The first compartment of the ABR should be modified and increased in size to trap
as much solids as possible.
The ABR should be made air tight and a system to improve/increase the pressure
of the biogas in the reactor to allow gas collection otherwise the first compartment
can be constructed in such a way that it has a gas holder and made airtight (shape
of a fixed dome).
A gradient should be created between the ABR and the CW so as to utilize gravity
as the driving force.
Wastewater monitoring/ testing should be done on a regular basis in order to
ensure that the content of waste flowing to the stream conforms with the NEMA
standards and as a way of monitoring the performance of the system.

References
Muench, E. (2008): Overview of anaerobic treatment options for sustainable
sanitation systems. In: BGR Symposium "Coupling Sustainable Sanitation and
Groundwater Protection".
Bachmann, A., Beard, VL. and McCarty, PL. (1985). Performance
Characteristics of the Anaerobic Baffled Reactor. Water Research 19 (1): 99
106.
Sergio S. Domingos (2011), Thesis on Vertical flow constructed wetlands for the
treatment of inorganic industrial wastewater, Murdoch University WA, Australia.
Morel A. and Diener S. (2006). Greywater Management in Low and MiddleIncome Countries, Review of diff erent treatment systems for households or
neighbourhoods. Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
(Eawag). Dubendorf, Switzerland.
Nijaguna B.T. (2002), Biogas Technology, New Age International (P) Limited,
New Delhi.

References

Rustige H &Platzer Chr. (2000),Nutrient Removal in Subsurface Flow

Constructed Wetlands for Application in sensitive Regions in: Proceedings 7th
Int. Conf. On Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, Orlando, USA

Leslie Grady .C, Glen .T, (1999), Biological Wastewater treatment, 2nd ed, Maral
Dekker ,Inc, New York
Foxon KM, Pillay S, Lalbahadur T, Rodda N, Holder F, Buckley CA (2004) The
anaerobic baffled reactor(ABR): An appropriate technology for on-site
sanitation. Water South Africa 30, 44-50.
Lawrence A.W. and McCarty p.L (1970): Unified basis for biological Treatment
Design and Operation. J. Sanit. Eng. Div., Am. Soc. CivEngrs.
Walter R.H., Shermah R.M. and Downing D.L. (1974): Reduction in Oxygen
demand of abattoir effluent by Precipitation with metal. J. Agric. Fd Chem

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