Ciro Fernando Bustillo-Lecompte

By Ciro Bustillo-Lecompte and Mehrab Mehrvar

The meat processing industry is one of the largest consumers of total freshwater used in the agricultural and livestock industry worldwide. Meat processing plants (MPPs) produce large amounts of slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) because of the slaughtering process and cleaning of facilities. SWWs need significant treatment for a sustainable and safe discharge to the environment due to the high content of organics and nutrients. Therefore, the treatment and final disposal of SWW are a public health necessity. In this chapter, the regulatory frameworks relevant to the SWW management, environmental impacts, health effects, and treatment methods are discussed. Although physical, chemical, and biological treatment can be used for SWW degradation, each treatment process has different advantages and drawbacks depending on the SWW characteristics, best available technology, jurisdictions, and regulations. SWWs are typically assessed using bulk parameters because of the various pollutant loads derived from the type and the number of animals slaughtered that fluctuate amid the meat industry. Thus, an on-site treatment using combined processes would be the best option to treat and disinfect the slaughterhouse effluents to be safely discharged into receiving waters.

Part of the book: Physico-Chemical Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery

By Gianluca Li Puma, Fiderman Machuca-Martínez, Miguel Mueses, José Colina-Márquez and Ciro Bustillo-Lecompte

Several aspects of scale-up and optimization of heterogeneous photocatalytic reactors are detailed in the following chapter. The relevance of the dimensionless numbers, the critical factors of the photoreactor design, and the optimization methods are explored from an engineering point of view. The apparent optical thickness is the most crucial dimensionless parameter for photoreactor design and optimization; therefore, the study will be more focused on this topic. Moreover, a real case for a commercial application of the solar photocatalysis will be presented in this chapter. This full-scale plant is currently operating as an industrial wastewater treatment plant in a flexographic company located in Cali, Colombia.

Part of the book: Advanced Oxidation Processes

By Edgar E. Quiñones-Bolaños, María A. Narváez-Cuadro, Aiken H. Ortega-Heredia, Michelle C. Montero-Acosta and Ciro Bustillo-LeCompte

Ensuring access to safe drinking water is a persistent public health issue in developing cities, where municipal water supplies may be unreliable or contaminated. Point-of-use (POU) water filters are widely used to improve water quality at the household level, but their effectiveness is influenced by factors such as filter type, performance, and maintenance. This chapter assesses the impact of POU filters on drinking water quality in Cartagena, Colombia, using a risk assessment framework that incorporates social, economic, and technical elements. By analyzing water samples from households, filtered and unfiltered, over a four-month field study, the study utilizes the Water Quality Risk Index (WQRI) to assess associated risks. Results indicate that while Cartagena’s water treatment is generally reliable, improper filter maintenance can sometimes reduce water quality. The study highlights specific risk factors and provides recommendations to improve filter performance and ensure safe drinking water. This chapter provides critical insights for policymakers and public health officials, highlighting the necessity of comprehensive risk assessments and targeted interventions to ensure the safety and sustainability of drinking water in developing urban settings.

Part of the book: Urban Pollution