Algae's Innovative Solution for Dairy Waste Water in SA

South Africa's vital dairy industry, with 360,000 cows milked daily, faces a significant challenge: managing substantial volumes of waste water, primarily slurry from milking parlour operations.

Current methods like settling ponds often fall short of national standards and engineered wetlands require large land areas. While various mechanical, physiochemical, and biological treatments exist, no single method consistently meets discharge standards, often requiring combinations like aerobic and anaerobic processes.

However, a paradigm shift is occurring, recognizing dairy waste water as a valuable resource that can be transformed into bioproducts like biofuel and biofertiliser. In response to this and the diminishing freshwater reserves and rising NPK fertiliser costs, scientists are exploring an innovative, low-cost solution called phycoremediation.

This technique utilizes algae to clean waste water by leveraging their natural ability to absorb nutrients and pollutants. Laboratory experiments have shown that microalgae can effectively remove over 90% of harmful pollutants from dairy farm waste water.

Phycoremediation presents a promising alternative, enabling dairy farms to continue production without negatively impacting the environment and supporting long-term sustainability by conserving natural resources. Field trials are now underway to further refine this process.