Abstract

This paper presents the variation in physico-chemical properties of a local Maroua tannery effluent before and after a flocculation treatment. Tanning is a process that consists of the transformation of the animal skin into leather by using different baths which contain many chemical reagents and produces high quantity of liquid and solid waste. The used water of traditional tannery of Maroua is directly thrown in nature without any pre-treatment posing a potential risk to the environment and human health. Physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH and conductivity, Total suspended solids, Total hardness, chlorides, sulfides, nitrates,COD, BOD₅ , ammonium ion, dissolve oxygen, turbidity, colour and odour were determined before and after aluminum sulfate powder flocculation treatment for effluents collected from soaking, liming, deliming and vegetable tanning stages of the tannery process. The results obtained showed that most of the physico-chemical parameters are higher than the international standard. The results obtained made it possible to classify these four effluents in order of toxicity as follows: Liming water > vegetable tanning water > deliming water > soaking water. The treatment of these waste waters by flocculation reduces the concentrations of certain pollutant loads such as TSS, turbidity, hardness, COD, BOD₅, sulfate; but remains less effective on others such as nitrate, chloride and ammonium ion (8%). There is also a decrease in pH, an increase in dissolved oxygen and conductivity. The flocculation treatment thus considerably reduced the toxicity of these effluents, especially its organic load.

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