Quantity and Quality of Wastewaters from Coconut Meat Peeling Process in Samut Songkhram Province

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the quantity and quality of wastewater produced from white coconut meat processing activities in Samut Songkhram Province. The study was performed between September 2018 and December 2019 and covered 234 factories across three districts and 18 sub-districts. In April and May 2020, influent and effluent water samples were collected from 20 sites. Based on the results, the factories were categorized into three groups: small-scale (56.5%) with a production of not exceeding 1.2 tons per day and a wastewater volume of 1.5 cubic meters per day; medium-scale (42.6%) with a production of 0.1-3.0 tons per day and a wastewater volume of 0.3-3.0 cubic meters per day; and large-scale (0.9%) with a production of more than 5.0 tons per day and a wastewater volume of more than 5.0 cubic meters per day. The study found that the wastewater produced from soaking and washing coconut meat had Suspended solids, BOD5, COD, and Oil and Grease ranging from 72.70-825.00, 145.50-5,326.00, 287.50-8,742.00, and 84.00-1,016.00 mg/L, respectively. Although the effluent water, after flowing through the treatment system, showeda decrease in BOD₅, COD, and oil & grease concentrations by an average of 93.6±4.1%, 93.8±7.6%, and 94.5±7.5%, respectively, it still had suspended solids, BOD₅, COD, and oil & grease concentrationsthat exceeded the factory sewerage benchmark, according to the Notification of Ministry of Industry regarding Industrial Effluent Standards B.E. 2560 and Notification of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment B.E. 2021.