S. GARCHA AND A. BHARDWAJ
Abstract
Dairy effluent is organically rich which makes it a suitable candidate for biological treatment. In the present study, two microorganisms, Bacillus cereus NCDC 240 and Zygosaccaharomyces rouxii MTCC 2635 were used to treat dairy waste water. These cultures were immobilized individually on three cheaply available matrices- ceramic, wood shavings and Luffa cylindrica. Luffa cylindrica exhibited the highest immobilization capacity. Zygosaccaharomyces rouxii performed better in terms of organic matter degradation (BOD) and also oil and grease. 84% BOD reduction and 83% oil and grease reduction was recorded using immobilized yeast compared to 69% and 75% reduction in BOD and oil and grease, respectively using bacteria Bacillus cereus immobilized on loofa.