MEASUREMENTS OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN THE WASTEWATER PURIFICATION ARISING OUT OF THE BIODIESEL PLANT OIL AND ANIMAL FAT

Abstract

Biofuels represent a potential to reduce environmental impacts, promote social inclusion, generation of employments and income, diversifying energy sources, boosting agribusiness, among other benefits. However, the minimization of environmental impacts related to the production of the biodiesel, is a real need to avoid overshadowing the benefits already mentioned above. This study is aimed to produce the biodiesel with several types of oils and subjecting them to wash damps with distilled water, thus, assessing and quantifying contaminants in effluents from the purification of biodiesels and determining the physical and chemical parameters of the aforesaid effluents. We observed that the effluents duly studied, showed high values in the parameters analyzed when compared to the discharged standards, established by the Brazilian environmental legislation. The water used to wash all the raw materials duly investigated, showed values from the chemical oxygen demand (COD) with a very high decrease in subsequent washings. With reference to the parameters pH and turbidity, it was also observed that a significant reduction in the values of the effluent from the first through the third wash in all the raw materials, were properly used.

Keywords: Biodiesel, environmental legislation, purification, wastewater.