Different treatment methodologies and reactors employed for dairy effluent treatment - A review

Dairy plants are classified as wet industries since their product processing steps require considerable water. According to current statistics, India is one of the world's top milk producers. Most of the effluent generated in the dairy sector comes from clean-up procedures from dairy plant equipment to milk transport vehicles. Dairy effluent treatment systems that use classic biological methods remove organic compounds and nitrogen from effluent at a relatively low cost. Even though the fat content, high organic load, and sludge generation in dairy effluent are still a problem to be managed in biological and coagulation reactors. Therefore, dairy effluent treatment and waste management have received much attention in recent years. A few critical reviews have examined the role and applicability of Geographic Information System for dairy waste management. This article explores the new dimensions in reviewing the unexplored areas, including performance range evaluation of different reactors and technologies implemented for dairy effluent treatment and the role of geographic information systems for dairy effluent waste management and EIA studies.