Anaerobic Stabilization Pond
Treatment of Meat Packing Wastes
DWAYNE A. ROLLAG, Assistant Professor
JAMES N. DORNBUSH, Professor
Civil Engineering Department
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota
INTRODUCTION
The meat packing industry is decentralizing its processing operations. Many
of the large metropolitan packinghouses are being abandoned because they cannot
readily assimilate the newer, more efficient processing methods due to the high
cost of providing such improvements. These plants are being replaced by small,
rural installations which are relatively inexpensive to modify. Shorter livestock
haul distances are an additional economic advantage to the small plant.
The advent of the stabilization pond into the meat processing waste treatment
field has been due, in part, to the desire for low-cost waste treatment. Also, the
new, small abattoirs and packinghouses are locating in rural communities where
sufficient land is available for this type of waste treatment. The use of anaerobic
stabilization pond facilities for treating these high strength wastes is rapidly increasing.
Furthermore, research on anaerobic fermentation, coupled with recent data
regarding the theory, design and performance of the anaerobic contact process
have provided the impetus to combine the advantage of anaerobic treatment with
those of the stabilization pond.
This investigation was conducted on an anaerobic stabilization pond system
treating the wastewater from the Minnesota-Iowa-Dakota (MID) Packing Co.,
located at Luverne, Minnesota. The organic, hydraulic and temperature characteristics of the wastewater were studied at various locations along its flow-path
through the treatment system.
The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the design and performance
of this treatment system during winter operation. These studies were conducted
in February and early March in order to obtain data which reflected winter operating conditions. Secondary efforts were directed toward using the evaluation data
for improving the design and operation of the system.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Evolution of Anaerobic Stabilization Ponds
Parker, et al. (1) were among the first to advocate the advantages of a pond
system designed specifically to operate as an anaerobic digestion unit. These
very significant investigations, conducted in the early 1940 s, disclosed the following conclusion concerning anaerobic ponds.
In addition to the examination of the performance of such lagoons,
it has been found in the course of the present studies that substantial puri-
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