EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ON BACTERIA IN WASTEWATER FROM THREE FOOD INDUSTRIES IN ONDO AND OSUN STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to know the effects of electromagnetic fields on microorganisms associated with wastewater from some food industries in Ondo and Osun State. The wastewater sample was collected from different industries. The wastewater sample was subjected to different electromagnetic field (1150nT, 1310nT, 3000nT, 5000nT) treatment for 48 hours. At a specific hour 1ml of the wastewater sample was taken and used for serial dilution for microbiological analysis. The physicochemical composition of wastewater was taken before and after the treatment with electromagnetic field apparatus. From all the results being carried out on all the wastewater sample collected at Brewery industry (A),Fruit Juice industry(B) and vegetable oil industry (C) using different EMF strength, it shows that the electromagnetic field had significant effects on the microorganisms present in the wastewater from food industries. There are some microorganisms that are common to the three (3) industrial wastewater; they are Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. There are microbes that are present in all the wastewater throughout the experiment but at a reduced or minimal number, they are Streptococcus spp., Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Erwinia carotovora, Enterococcus faecium. In the physicochemical composition of the wastewater from the three industries, industry A has the highest pH value (7.96), industry B has the highest temperature value (26.510C), industry C has the highest Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) value (4.31), industry A has the highest soluble solid value (0.40), industry A has the highest electrical conductivity value (7.91) and industry C with the highest Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) value (6.22). This experiment has shown that EMF can reduce microbial population in the wastewater and thus can be used to treat wastewaters from food industries before discharging into water bodies.