Laboratory Studies of Tannery Waste Treatment

Tannery wastes have not received extensive treatment in the past because of the high strength and variability of the wastes. This study investigated methods of treating various single waste streams, and also the optimum arrangement for combining them for economical treatment. Spent vegetable tanning liquor, chrome tanning liquor, and dye wastes probably should receive separate pretreatment. Biological treatment of the resulting combination, utilizing complete mixing activated sludge at conventional loading rates, produced a satisfactory effluent. Recommended treatment schemes are proposed. Data for treatment operations at an Auburn, Kentucky, tannery are given.