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Sugar industry wastewater with high BOD content leads to the depletion of dissolved

oxygen content in bodies of water. Discharging this untreated effluent will render the water

bodies unfit for both aquatic and human uses (Shivayogimath et al, 2010). Wastewater from

these industries presents high organic load causing a large chemical oxygen demand (COD) and

a large amount of colored substances which give dark brown color to the effluents (Peña et al.,

2003). Treatment and reuse of wastewaters have become an absolute necessity to avoid pollution

of fresh water bodies (Fauzia et al, 2007). Hence, treatment of sugar industry wastewater became

a challenging taskdue to the stringent discharge standards for the protection ofenvironment.

In search for new and low cost agricultural wastes as source material, sugarcane bagasse

is one of the by-products from the sugar industry that are further processed in the form of

adsorbents and are being utilized especially in the water pollution control system. It is one of the

alternatives used as replacement to existing product of activated carbon(Gupta et al, 2009).

Rationale

Industrialization has become an integral part of modern society and as a result,

production of waste is inevitable due to these industrial activities. A material becomes waste

when it is discarded without expecting to be compensated for its inherent value. Those wastes

may pose a potential hazard to human and environment when improperly treated, stored,

transported, disposed of or managed (Misra and Pandey, 2004).

Sugar industry is one of the industries that generate large volumes of wastewater here in

the Philippines. The estimated total annual volume of wastewater in the Philippines produced

from both municipal and major agricultural industries is about 7.5 billion cubic meters for year

2010-2011 (Sandoval et al, 2012). Sugarcane milling companies have produced 3.1 million m 3of

wastewater for the year 2011 (Rapid Inventory Techniques in Environmental Pollution, 2011).
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Adopting various physico-chemical and biological methods are the conventional ways on

treating these sugar industry effluents. These conventional processes suffer the disadvantage due

to the costly reagents being used. Moreover, chemical treatments could bring on a secondary

pollution due to the fact that chemical additives may contaminate the treated water (Serge

Tchamango et al, 2010).

Sugarcane industries also recognize the importance of activated carbon for the removal of

adsorptive impurities and the use of enzymes for reducing the BOD, COD levels as well as

reducing the sludge volumes odor and color in the effluent and sewage treatment plants (Enzyme

India, 2009). However, these methods are so costly. This study is conducted to make use of one

of the by-products of sugar manufacturing: sugarcane bagasse to minimize to and eliminate

environmental pollution. Likewise, minimize the cost of production intended for wastewater

treatment process.

Further utilization of sugarcane bagasse would, in some measure, help the sugar industry

to be able to continue contributing to the nation’s stability and progress.

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Objectives

General Objective

This study aims to determine the equilibrium parameters on the adsorption of sugarmill

wastewater Chemical Oxygen Demand unto mechanochemically-treated bagasse.

Specific Objectives

Specifically, this study aims to determine the:

1. Effect of adsorbent mass on the percent removal of COD.

2. Effect of initial COD on the percent removal of COD.

3. Percent removal of COD using activated and activated bagasse.

4. Significant difference in the residual COD of the wastewater treated with activated and

inactivated bagasse.

5. Adsorption isotherm of the sugarmill wastewater-bagasse mixture.

Hypothesis

As a temporary answer to the 4th specific objective, a hypothesis was formulated and is

stated in null form:

There is no significant difference in the residual COD of the wastewater treated with

activated and inactivated bagasse.

Conceptual Framework

In adsorption processes one or more components of a gas or liquid stream are adsorbed

on the surface of a solid adsorbent and a separation is accomplished (Geankoplis, 2003). For this
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study, a liquid-phase adsorption will be used wherein sugar mill wastewaters with its high

organic waste load will be adsorbed using pretreated bagasse as the adsorbent.

Adsorption is affected by either solute hydrophobicity or high affinity of the adsorbate to

the adsorbent or both. Adsorption of the adsorbate from its mixture with water requires high

hydrophobicity so as not to also adsorb water especially for organic based adsorbents. High

affinity of the adsorbate may be due to Van der Waals forces between the molecules of the

adsorbent and adsobate (physisorption) or chemical reactions that occur during adsorption

(chemisorption).

The adsorbent to be used in the study is bagasse. It is basically built by macromolecules

with humic and fulvic substances, lignin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and proteins that have

adsorptive sites such as carbonyl, carboxylic, amine, and hydroxyl groups (Davila-Jimenez,

2005). However, soluble organic matter released by bagasse when used without any pretreatment

can create difficulties in its use in wastewater treatment processes. Cellulose and hemicelluloses

compose 40% and 30% of the bagasse, respectively. Both are hydrophilic in contrast to lignin

which is hydrophobic.

In order to increase the hydrophobicity of bagasse and enhance its adsorptive properties

for purposes of this study, a mechanochemical process will be used. The mechanical process will

consist of enlarging the surface area of the bagasse fibers to increase the number of adsorptive

sites. For the chemical process part, acetylation will be used where the hydroxyl group of the

bagasse fiber will be replaced with an acetyl group that will make it hydrophobic and less polar

(Faruk, 2014).
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Scope and Limitations

This study, Sugarmill Wastewater COD Treatment through Adsorption on

Mechanochemically-activated Bagasse: Equilibrium Study will evaluate the potential of bagasse

as an adsorbent in the treatment of wastewater in the sugarmill. This research was conducted in

the Chemical Engineering Laboratory and Chemistry Laboratories of Colegio San Agustin-

Bacolod and in the Quality Control Laboratory of First Farmers Holding Corporation.

Significance of the Study

This study is deemed important in exploring the potential of sugarcane bagasse used as an

adsorption media.

With this study, new alternative materials for wastewater treatment can be developed.

Although used as fuel in many sugar mills, further studies in relation to utilization of sugarcane

bagasse may give light to more effective and low cost treatment processes that can economically

be more competitive. It can also be utilized in conjunction with its present use when fired in

boilers and costly adsorbent media like activated carbon can be replaced.

Efficient utilization of renewable resources for the production of products necessary for

treatment processes have become a major concern thus the processes and methods used in this

study in modifying the bagasse may also be applied to other lignocellulosic materials that may be

utilized as adsorbents.
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Definition of Terms

The following are the conceptual and/or operational definitions of terms are used in the
study:

Adsorption is a separation process in which certain components of fluid phase are

transferred to the surface of a solid adsorbent. (McCabe, 1993)

Adsorbate is the substance being adsorbed. In this study, the adsorbate are the oxidizable

pollutants in the wastewater and is measured by the COD.

Adsorbent is the material wherein another material is adsorbed/adhered in the surface.

Adsorption Isotherm is the equilibrium relationship between the concentration in the fluid

phase and the concentration in the adsorbent particles at a given temperature. (McCabe,

1993)

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a measure of the total quantity of oxygen required to

oxidize all organic material into carbon dioxide and water.

Mechanochemically-activated bagasse/activated bagasse is the bagasse that has undergone

mechanical and chemical activation.

Residual COD is the remaining COD in the sample after a certain amount of time.

Unactivated Bagasse is the bagasse that has not undergone mechanical and chemical

activation yet.