Paper Title
Utilization Of Gamma Radiation In Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Abstract
Environmental pollution has become a world-wide problem. The growth of industrialization leads to the rise of wastewater produced from various industries and the pollution load on the environment is increasing. The treatment and disposal of industrial wastewater is becoming a challenging problem for developing countries. Industrial wastewater is very complex and the main concerning contaminants are bacteria, parasites and viruses, inorganic and organic pollutants. The main purpose of this research is to develop the industrial wastewater treatment technology in Myanmar. Ionizing radiation has more advantages over the chemical or biological treatment process of industrial wastewater. Very few amount of chemical reagents as initiators and Co-60 gamma radiation source were used to reduce massive load microbial count (~1010 CFU/ml), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD ~7000 mg/l) and chemical oxygen demand (COD~30000 mg/l) to safety disposed level in this research. The sample used in this research was combined wastewater from distilleries, sugar factories, candy factories and textile factories. The collected sample was pre-treated with some chemical process and then was to be irradiated into the gamma chamber at a dose of 1 kGy to 18 kGy. Effects of gamma radiation on industrial wastewater and sludge were determined by the reduction rate of total microbial counts, COD and BOD. The optimum dose for the disinfection of bacteria and degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants were obtained. The irradiation dose of 6 kGy was adequate for the disinfection of wastewater and the reduction of COD and BOD to the permissible level was achieved at 18 kGy irradiation dose. Keywords- Industrial Wastewater, Ionization Radiation, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Microbial Counts, Gamma Radiation, Organic Pollutants