TREATMENT OF DESICCATED COCONUT WASTE WATER

Background:

Desiccated coconut industries of Karnataka are situated in Tiptur and Tumkur Taluks of Tumkur District. The desiccated coconut industries are water intensive as they use huge volume of water and simultaneously discharge them. Coconut water produced from the opening of the coconut is also discharged along with other waste water streams, altogether making huge volume of waste water discharge. The waste water discharged has extremely pungent and foul odor due to the presence of high organic content and rancid oil that is often intolerable Waste water emerging from (a) within a coconut, (b) coconut kernel washing and (c) virgin coconut oil extraction, form the key components. Preliminary studies are underway to establish the composition and variability in composition and physico-chemical behaviour of these different waste waters. These wastewaters have a mix of coconut solids and pith in fine particulates, fine emulsion of coconut oil and saccharidic material as dissolved solids. Attempts will be made to evolve simple methods to separate the solids and liquids as well as oil from this wastewaters so that appropriate treatment options can be devised. The project would work towards value addition to the waste and wastewater.

The Council has received the first installment of the funds during January 2012 and started the R & D activities at CST, IISc, laboratory.