Potential use of eco-enzyme for the treatment of metal based effluent

Abstract

Conversion of wastes into value added products is potentially profitable besides creating a clean environment. Eco-enzyme is one such product produced from fermentation of citrus fruit wastes and the effectiveness of the enzyme in treating metal based effluent was investigated. The characteristics of effluent before and after treatment with eco-enzyme were analysed. There was a great reduction in the level of BOD from 80.0 mg/L to 22.3 mg/L. Eco-enzyme also inhibits the growth of microorganisms in the wastewater. These results confirmed that eco enzyme is capable to treat metal based effluent. Besides, sludge treated with eco-enzyme was studied for its potential use in enhancing the growth of chili and aloe vera. Soil containing eco-enzyme treated sludge promotes better growth in chili. Meanwhile, aloe vera grown on soil containing eco-enzyme treated sludge grown almost equally and healthy in comparison with control. This study provides a solution to prevent sludge dumping to ensure clean environment.