Sizing a System for Treating Effluents from the Mozambique Sugar Cane Company

Paulino Muguirrima, Nicolau Chirinza, Federico A. Leon Zerpa (), Sebastian Ovidio Perez Baez and Carlos Alberto Mendieta Pino
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Paulino Muguirrima: Faculty of Science and Technology, Zambezi University, Beira 2100, Mozambique
Nicolau Chirinza: Faculty of Science and Technology, Zambezi University, Beira 2100, Mozambique
Federico A. Leon Zerpa: Institute of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (iUNAT), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Sebastian Ovidio Perez Baez: Institute of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (iUNAT), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Carlos Alberto Mendieta Pino: Institute of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources (iUNAT), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: The sugar industry must be managed in a manner that encourages innovation with regard to the waste generated throughout the process. The organic load of sugar mill waste is high, as is its potential to pollute water bodies at various stages of the production process, including cooling bearings, mills, sugar cane washing, bagasse waste and cleaning products. It is therefore necessary to identify treatment mechanisms that not only reduce this waste but also return purer water to the environment, combining the reuse of water in various applications. The objective of this study was to analyze the results of the physical and chemical properties of the effluents generated and the principal treatment technologies employed for the remediation of industrial wastewater from sugar factories. The wastewater from Mozambique’s sugar mills has high levels of dissolved or suspended solids, organic matter, pressed mud, bagasse and atmospheric pollutants. The BOD/COD ratio is low (<2.5), indicating the need for secondary treatment or, more specifically, biological treatment. This can be achieved through humid systems built from stabilization ponds, with the resulting water suitable for reuse in agricultural irrigation. In this work, an educational proposal has been developed for engineering students where they learn to calculate and optimize, among other parameters, the natural wastewater treatment and compare it with a conventional wastewater treatment.

Keywords: environmental management; sugar industries; wastewater; treatment systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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