Remediation of effluent from cassava processing mills

Cassava is a major staple food in most African and Asia countries, but its processing usually releases effluent which is high in cyanide and other heavy metals to the environment. The main objective of this study is to develop a bioremediation method aimed at degrading cassava effluent. Results obtained from this study show that organic soap solution (pH of 9.8 and electrical conductivity and 1330 μS/cm), had a significant effect on the cyanide, Zinc, Nickel, Chromium, Phosphorus and potassium content of the cassava effluent within the treatment period of 6 days.  Furthermore, the organic soap solution significantly reduced the total coliforms colonies in the cassava effluent within the treatment period. A comparison of the treatment effluent results with NIS standards shows that most of the pollutant parameters were almost at the acceptable limits after the treatment with the exception of Potassium and phosphate. The results from this study apparently indicated that organic soap solution was very efficient in degrading the cassava effluent to appreciable level, but it should be further researched to explore its greater remediation potential.