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Looking at the complexity of wastewater treatment

23 October 2023

Ian Hart explores the complexities of wastewater treatment and the challenges faced by food manufacturers.

Wastewater treatment can deliver a range of advantages – promoting sustainable water management, environmental conservation and safe water reuse – to combat the harmful effects of climate change.

But, when it comes to the food industry, creating systems and processes that are going to benefit everyone can be particularly challenging, and there a range of factors to be considered. Take, for example, a biscuit manufacturing facility, there wouldn’t be a great deal of wastewater being produced, meaning it wouldn't be beneficial to put in any kind of infrastructure to treat wastewater.

Dairy manufacturers, on the other hand, who produce a huge amount of wastewater, would potentially benefit from buying the equipment needed to treat wastewater. This could be converted into biogas, which can then be used to generate either electricity – or more likely steam – to be utilised into the manufacturing process again. 

When it comes to wastewater treatment for the food industry, there's a large range of manufacturing capabilities, meaning each factory produces different amounts of wastewater, making it difficult to agree on a solution that's going to be suitable for everyone. 

Key drivers
The key drivers come from the Mogden formula and associated charges imposed by the water companies for wastewater treatment. Now, in most cases, there isn’t a great deal of volume, suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or chemical oxygen demand (COD), meaning trying to treat wastewater wouldn’t be fruitful for many.

However, sauce manufacturers, for example, whose operations could result in quite high BOD and suspended solids, but not a great deal of volume, may decide to implement a small plant that will reduce BOD and suspended solids, and therefore their Mogden charge. These modular units may be worth around £100,000, but they can make a big difference.

And there are other manufacturing facilities that are using quite a bit of water, but not as much as the likes of dairies and breweries. They usually look into upscale works in order to reduce their Mogden charge to cover the volumes. But ultimately they are not getting any benefit because they are just using an aerobic process in order to reduce the BOD, COD and suspended solids, which can be costly.

There are also those who are producing a lot of wastewater as well as a lot of biological demand, who can effectively take the development into biogas via an anaerobic plant and obtain a return on investment.

Overall, wastewater treatment systems can cost anywhere from around £100,000 to £3 million – a significant range. And that’s the challenge: how do you build systems that are going to be applicable for everyone, no matter their production capabilities?  

Ultimately, different solutions work for different types of manufacturers in the food sector, but everyone should be aware of how to get the most of their wastewater treatment, if they decide to go down that route to exploit the financial and environmental benefits. 

There are significant innovations and developments fast emerging in wastewater management and treatment, leaving room for manufacturers to find the best solutions.

Ian Hart is Business Development Director at adi Projects.


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