REMOVAL OF AMMONIACAL NITROGEN (NH3-N), PHOSPHORUS (P04), CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD) AND TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLID (TSS) USING ANAEROBIC AND AEROBIC DEGRADATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTEWATER

The current treatment system of Safire Pharmaceuticals (M) Sdn. Bhd was not really
effective and the operational cost of the wastewater treatment was high. The purpose of
this project for the first phase was to investigate the removal efficiency of ammoniacal
nitrogen (NH3-:N) and phosphorus (P04) from Satire's pharmaceutical wastewater using
aerobic treatment. For the second phase, the project was executed to investigate the
removal efficiency of total suspended solid (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD)
using anaerobic-aerobic treatment. The pharmaceutical wastewater was taken from a
company which is Safire Pharmaceuticals (M) Sdn. Bhd located at Bandar Baru Seri
Iskandar, near Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. The wastewater influent and effluent
samples were analyzed to determine the parameters such as influent and effluent of
ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-:N), phosphorus (P04), total suspended solid (TSS) and
chemical oxygen demand (COD). For the first phase of aerobic treatment, two reactors
had been used to treat the pharmaceutical wastewater. The difference between the
reactors was sludge age. One of the reactors had been used short sludge age for the
aerobic treatment and the other one we use long sludge age. Sludge age is a measure of
the length of time a particle of suspended solids has been retained in the activated sludge
process. For the second phase of the aerobic and anaerobic treatment, three reactors had
been used to treat the pharmaceutical wastewater. One reactor used for anaerobic
treatment and the other two were used for aerobic treatment. From the experiment at the
first phase, the maximum percentage removal of the ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3 "N) quite
high which was 54.3%. But, there was no change between the influent and effluent Of
phosphorus (P04) which means no removal of phosphorus using aerobic treatment. For
the second phase, the maximum percentage removal of COD for pharmaceutical
wastewater was 98.1% which quite high. Meanwhile, the maximum percentage removal
of TSS for pharmaceutical wastewater was 46.8%. So, it can be concluded that the
aerobic treatment could treat ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3 "N) but could not treat
phosphorus (P04). However, the anaerobic-aerobic treatment could successfully treat
both the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solid (TSS).