The present study focuses on the treatment of industrial effluent from the manufacturing of organic insecticides based on vegetable oil in the Guayas province, Yaguachi canton. Flow rates and composite samples were collected to determine the physicochemical characteristics and contaminant load based on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). A pilot treatment was developed using an investigative method, and based on the data obtained from the analyses, the treatment processes were determined, including a grease trap, an activated sludge biological reactor, tertiary treatment through filtration, and a sludge drying bed.
The study demonstrated that applying these treatability processes ensures that the effluent complies with the discharge limits for marine water bodies as per the Unified Text of Secondary Legislation on the Environment (TULSMA).