Upgrading of distillery effluent by Nitrosococcus oceanus for its use as a low-cost fertilizer

Distillery effluent can be converted into biogas and the residue can be utilized as a fertilizer if it is detoxified. Several nitrifying bacteria were screened for detoxification of distillery effluent rich in chloride, nitrogen compounds, free ammonia and monovalent cations. Nitrosococcus oceanus collected from a brackish water lake (Chilka, Orrisa) was noticed to be a potential candidate for detoxification of distillery effluent. The detoxified distillery effluent was used in rice plant culture. The growth and development of rice plants was examined in terms of DCPIP—Hill activity, total carbohydrate, total protein and biomass of rice plants. The detoxified effluent-treated rice plants showed better growth and development as compared with control plant grown in full nutrient solution (Hoagland solution).