Optimization of the activated sludge process for physicochemical improvement of pharmaceutical effluent and its application for plant growth
Keywords:
MLSS, TDS, RSM, pharmaceutical, activated sludgeAbstract
Pharmaceutical wastewater containing high concentrations of recalcitrant organics, nutrients, and suspended solids were treated using integrated polyurethane (PU) foam adsorption and response surface methodology (RSM)-optimized activated sludge process (ASP). Initial wastewater characterization revealed elevated pH (9.2), BOD (358 mg/L), COD (469 mg/L), TDS (1054 mg/L), TSS (578 mg/L), and ammonia (358 mg/L), exceeding NEQS. PU foam adsorption effectively reduced pollutant concentrations, making it suitable as pre-biological treatment. The ASP was optimized using a Box–Behnken design with pH (6.5–8.5), dissolved oxygen (2–5 mg/L), and Pseudomonas concentration (0.5–2 g/kg), yielding an excellent model fit (R² = 99.81%, p < 0.001). Under optimum conditions, residual COD decreased to 69.5 mg/L, MLSS reached 150 mg/L, and SVI was 50 mL/g. Irrigation with the treated effluent significantly enhanced plant growth, increasing root length (41.8 cm), shoot length (61.7 cm), and fruit yield (17 fruits/pot), demonstrating its potential for safe agricultural reuse.
Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 61(3), 77-88, 2026
48
53
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) holds the copyright to all contents published in Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research (BJSIR). A copyright transfer form should be signed by the author(s) and be returned to BJSIR.
The entire contents of the BJSIR are protected under Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) copyrights.
BJSIR is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License which allows others remix, tweak, and build upon the articles non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge and be non-commercial, they dont have to license their derivative works on the same terms.
