Plant Growth and Soil Microorganisms treated by Wastewater from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) of Ethanol Manufacturing

Abstract

This research is aimed to study the effluent from anaerobic wastewater treatment (Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket - UASB) in mung bean planting plots through randomized Completed Block Design (RCBD) experiments using Kamphaeng Saen soil series as a growth medium of the mung bean. In the study, the beans in the depth range 0-15 cm are collected and mung bean varieties Kamphaeng Saen 2 are used. Wastewater from the anaerobic wastewater treatment system is sampled to analyze for the properties of effluent from the anaerobic wastewater treatment system of the molasses ethanol production plant and to analyze the growth of beans. The results of the study indicate that the nutrient content of the treated wastewater does not exceed the specified standard values. Chemical properties of the soil, wastewater utilization at the rate of 80 cubic meters/rai, and chemical fertilizer, all affect the quality of the soil, that is, the amount of organic matter in the soil is increased while the beneficial phosphorus availability (Avai. P), the exchangeable potassium content (Exch. K), are increased too with the biological properties of the soil and bacterial content. Besides, the study results also show that wastewater utilization at the rate of 20 cubic meters/rai results in the height of stem, the number of leaves, fresh weight / including the pod, fresh weight/stem, dry weight/stem, and dry weight of the seed to the maximum growth. And the utilization of wastewater in the control group of mung bean results in the highest number of internodes, pods, weight, number of seeds, the weight of beans, and leaf-nutrient accumulation. And the use of wastewater at the rate of 80 cubic meters/rai is found to have the highest accumulated nutrients in the seeds. Therefore, the utilization of wastewater from an anaerobic wastewater treatment system results in wastewater properties not exceeding the specified standard values while providing beneficial elements for the plants in the growth of mung beans.