Path of Science: International Electronic Scientific Journal

Abattoir wastewater, generated during the slaughter process, contains a complex mixture of pollutants that pose significant environmental and public health risks. These pollutants include organic matter, nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, pathogenic microorganisms, heavy metals, and antibiotics, which can lead to surface and groundwater contamination, soil degradation, and adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems. This review aims to provide an overview of the composition and characteristics of abattoir wastewater, highlighting its significant environmental challenges. The paper also examines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) methodologies for assessing and managing these risks, with a focus on wastewater treatment practices. Researchers discuss both traditional and advanced treatment methods, highlighting their effectiveness while also identifying the gaps and limitations they present. Case studies from various countries, including Nigeria, India, Brazil, the European Union, and the USA, are reviewed to illustrate both successes and challenges in wastewater management practices. The paper explores sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, including circular economy approaches, zero liquid discharge systems, and waste-to-energy models. This study outlines research gaps, future directions, and policy recommendations, emphasising the need for integrated treatment systems, real-time monitoring, and greater community engagement in wastewater management.

Abattoir wastewater; Environmental Impact Assessment; wastewater treatment; biogas production; sustainable solutions; wastewater management; heavy metals

1. Mittal, G. (2005). Treatment of wastewater from abattoirs before land application – a review. Bioresource Technology, 97(9), 1119–1135. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2004.11.021

2. Adelegan, J. A. (2007). The history of environmental policy and pollution of water sources in Nigeria (1960-2004). Oyo State: University of Ibadan.

3. Osibanjo, N., O, N., Adie, N., & G, U. (2007). Impact of effluent from Bodija abattoir on the physico-chemical parameters of Oshunkaye stream in Ibadan City, Nigeria. African Journal of Biotechnology, 6(15), 1806–1811. doi: 10.5897/ajb2007.000-2266

4. Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F. L., & Stensel, H. D. (2003). Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse (4th Ed.). McGraw-Hill.

5. Ariyo, A. B., & Obire, O. (2021). Microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of abattoir wastewaters in Bayelsa and Rivers State. South Asian Journal of Research in Microbiology, 32–45. doi: 10.9734/sajrm/2021/v11i130243

6. Akan, J. C., Abdulrahman, F. I., & Yusuf, E. (2010). Physical and chemical parameters in abattoir wastewater sample, Maiduguri Metropolis, Nigeria. The Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 11(1), 640-648.

7. Rabah, A. B., Ijah, U. J. J., Manga, S. B., & Ibrahim, M. L. (2008). Assessment of Physico-chemical and Microbiological qualities of Abattoir Wastewater in Sokoto, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 16(2), 149–154.

8. Bello, Y. O., & Oyedemi, D. T. A. (2009). The impact of abattoir activities and Management in residential neighbourhoods: a case study of Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences, 19(2), 121–127. doi: 10.1080/09718923.2009.11892699

9. Bustillo-Lecompte, C., & Mehrvar, M. (2017). Slaughterhouse Wastewater: Treatment, Management and resource recovery. In InTech eBooks. doi: 10.5772/65499

10. Ogundiran, M. A., Fawole, O. O., Adewoye, S. O., & Ayandiran, T. A. (2010). Toxicological impact of detergent effluent on juvenile African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) (Buchell 1822). Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America, 1(3), 330-342.

11. Galanakis, C. M. (2019). Sustainable Meat Production and Processing. In Elsevier eBooks. doi: 10.1016/c2017-0-02230-9

12. Omole, D., & Longe, E. (2008). An assessment of the impact of abattoir effluents on River Illo, Ota, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 1(2), 56–64. doi: 10.3923/jest.2008.56.64

13. Homeier-Bachmann, T., Heiden, S. E., Lübcke, P. K., Bachmann, L., Bohnert, J. A., Zimmermann, D., & Schaufler, K. (2021). Antibiotic-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in wastewater of abattoirs. Antibiotics, 10(5), 568. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics10050568

14. Ogunlade, T. M., Babaniyi, B. R., & Orija, D. (2021). Microbial and Heavy Metal Analysis on Abattoir Soil. International Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 7(2), 36-41.

15. EPA. (2021). Understanding global warming potentials. Retrieved from https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials_.html

16. WHO. (2014). Antimicrobial resistance: Global report on surveillance. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564748

17. Glasson, J., & Therivel, R. (2019). Introduction to environmental impact assessment. In Routledge eBooks. doi: 10.4324/9780429470738

18. Oyinlola, K. A., Odujebe, F. O., Ajibare, A. O., Oriolowo, D. K., Ogunleye, G. E., Odebunmi, E. O., & Kazeem, M. O. (2023). Assessment of the impact of wastewater from an abattoir in Oyo state on groundwater in Onidundu community, Nigeria. Agricultural Science and Technology, 15(2), 51–60. doi: 10.15547/ast.2023.02.016

19. Bond, A., Pope, J., Morrison-Saunders, A., Retief, F., & Gunn, J. A. (2014). Impact assessment: Eroding benefits through streamlining? Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 45, 46–53. doi: 10.1016/j.eiar.2013.12.002

20. Adewumi, J., Ilemobade, A., & Van Zyl, J. (2010). Treated wastewater reuse in South Africa: Overview, potential and challenges. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 55(2), 221–231. doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.09.012

21. Aslam, M., Khan, Z., Sultan, M., Niaz, Y., Mahmood, M., Shoaib, M., Shakoor, A., & Ahmad, M. (2017). Performance Evaluation of Trickling Filter-Based Wastewater Treatment System utilising cotton sticks as filter media. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 26(5), 1955–1962. doi: 10.15244/pjoes/69443

22. Zhang, C., Wang, G., & Hu, Z. (2014). Changes in wastewater treatment performance and activated sludge properties of a membrane bioreactor at low-temperature operation. Environmental Science Processes & Impacts, 16(9), 2199–2207. doi: 10.1039/c4em00174e

23. Vymazal, J. (2010). Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: five decades of experience. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(1), 61–69. doi: 10.1021/es101403q

24. Khandegar, V., & Saroha, A. K. (2013). Electrocoagulation for the treatment of textile industry effluent – A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 128, 949–963. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.06.043

25. Alam, P., Khan, A. H., Américo-Pinheiro, J. H. P., & Ahmad, K. (2024). Innovative and hybrid technologies for wastewater treatment and recycling. In CRC Press eBooks. doi: 10.1201/9781003454199

26. Parida, V. K., Saidulu, D., Majumder, A., Srivastava, A., Gupta, B., & Gupta, A. K. (2021). Emerging contaminants in wastewater: A critical review on occurrence, existing legislations, risk assessment, and sustainable treatment alternatives. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(5), 105966. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105966

27. Elemile, O. O., Raphael, D. O., Omole, D. O., Oloruntoba, E. O., Ajayi, E. O., & Ohwavborua, N. A. (2019). Assessment of the impact of abattoir effluent on groundwater quality in a residential area of Omu-Aran, Nigeria. Environmental Sciences Europe, 31(1). doi: 10.1186/s12302-019-0201-5

28. Kumar, R., Chugh, P., Goswami, M., Pathak, V., & Yadav, S. (2024). Current Status of Slaughterhouses in India. The Science World, a monthly e-magazine, 4(10), 3809-3811

29. Ferdeș, M., Zăbavă, B. Ș., Paraschiv, G., Ionescu, M., Dincă, M. N., & Moiceanu, G. (2022). Food waste management for biogas production in the context of sustainable development. Energies, 15(17), 6268. doi: 10.3390/en15176268

30. Oliveira, H. R., Kozlowsky-Suzuki, B., Björn, A., Yekta, S. S., Caetano, C. F., Pinheiro, É. F. M., Marotta, H., Bassin, J. P., Oliveira, L., De Miranda Reis, M., Schultz, M. S., Mangiavacchi, N., Ferreira-Leitão, V. S., Fasheun, D. O., Silva, F. G., Taveira, I., De França Soares Alves, I. R., Castro, J., Durão, J. V., Enrich-Prast, A. (2023). Biogas potential of biowaste: A case study in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Renewable Energy, 221, 119751. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2023.119751

31. European Commission. (n. d.). Urban Wastewater. Retrieved from https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/urban-wastewater_en

32. EPA. (2025). Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/eg/meat-and-poultry-products-effluent-guidelines

33.Kefalew, T., & Lami, M. (2021). Biogas and bio-fertiliser production potential of abattoir waste: implication in sustainable waste management in Shashemene City, Ethiopia. Heliyon, 7(11), e08293. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08293

34. Kabeyi, M. J. B., & Olanrewaju, O. A. (2020). Optimum Biogas Production from Slaughterhouse for Increased Biogas and Electricity Generation. 2nd African International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management.

35. Kothari, R., Azam, R., Bharti, A., Goria, K., Allen, T., Ashokkumar, V., Pathania, D., Singh, R. P., & Tyagi, V. (2024). Biobased treatment and resource recovery from slaughterhouse wastewater via reutilization and recycling for sustainable waste approach. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 58, 104712. doi: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.104712

36. Bhunia, S., Bhowmik, A., & Mukherjee, J. (2022). Waste management of rural slaughterhouses in developing countries. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 425–449). doi: 10.1016/b978-0-323-85792-5.00019-8

37. Kulikova, M. A., Kolesnikova, T. A., Gribut, E. A., Okovitaya, K. O., Surzhko, O. A., & Zemchenko, G. N. (2020). Research on waste management technologies in meat clusters. IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, 421(2), 022064. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/421/2/022064

38. Ali, A. F., & Gujiba, U. K. (2024). Household wastewater management in sub-Saharan Africa: a review. Discover Water, 4(1). doi: 10.1007/s43832-024-00060-6

39. Olawuni, P., Daramola, O., & Soumah, M. (2017). Environmental implications of abattoir waste generation and Management in developing countries: the case of Lagos State Abattoir in Agege, Nigeria. Greener Journal of Social Sciences, 7(2), 007–014. doi: 10.15580/gjss.2017.2.050715068

40. UNEP. (2023). Environmental Rule of Law: Tracking Progress and Charting Future Directions. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/environmental-rule-law-tracking-progress-and-charting-future-directions

41. Forhad, H. M., Uddin, M. R., Chakrovorty, R. S., Ruhul, A. M., Faruk, H. M., Kamruzzaman, S., Sharmin, N., Jamal, A. S. I. M., Haque, M. M., & Morshed, A. M. (2024). IoT-based Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring System in Water Treatment Plants. Heliyon, 10(23), e40746. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40746

42. Bakare-Abidola, T., Olaoye, J., & Yekinni, O. S. (2025). Environmental assessment of heavy metal contamination and physicochemical properties in abattoir wastewater. GSC Advanced Research and Reviews, 22(3), 92–102. doi: 10.30574/gscarr.2025.22.3.0067