Introductory Remarks on Symposium on Fermentation Waste Disposal

I n common with most industrial processing industries, the fermentation industries are concerned with waste disposal situations that often become critical. Fermentation wastes usually occur in liquid or solid forms, although some gaseous wastes are also produced. It is worthy of note that, in addition to the problems involved, the disposal of these wastes is particularly interesting to fermentation specialists because waste treatment processes are often fermentations. For example, the activated sludge process finds its parallel in submerged fermentation for antibiotics, while trickling filters were used for vinegar manufacture long before they were adapted to waste treatment. On the other hand, continuous fermentations have been used from the beginning for waste treatment, whereas in the manufacture of fermentation products continuous operation is still something of a novelty. The treatment of wastes arising from the production of antibiotics involves many unusual and troublesome factors. These wastes often have very high BOD values and contain residual antibiotics that may interfere with biological treatment; in addition, the wastes vary widely from hour to hour in strength and quantity. The papers in this symposium were selected to illustrate effective methods for disposing of liquid and solid pharmaceutical wastes as well as current research directed toward improvement of the methods. The first paper outlines methods of evaluating the strengths of liquid wastes by applying procedures developed in the brewing and alcohol distillation industries; such methods are needed when developing or improving waste treatment programs. Secondary treatment of liquid wastes from antibiotics production is almost exclusively carried out biologically at the present time.