Food factories play an important role in our lives. They produce the goods found on supermarket shelves and supplied to restaurants, delicatessens, bakeries and other food businesses. Whether they make dairy or meat products, canned food, baked goods or other products, these factories also generate substantial waste.
Much of this waste comes from surplus production. Without professional treatment and removal, it can block wastewater systems, pollute the environment, harm plants and animals and contaminate groundwater. Different substances in wastewater require different treatment methods.
Substances Found in Food-Industry Wastewater
Fats are common in factories that use or produce large quantities of oil and can place a heavy burden on sewerage systems. High concentrations of salt can increase water salinity. Concentrated organic material occurs in wineries, juice factories, canneries, slaughterhouses and dairies. Suspended and settleable solids must also be separated from wastewater streams. Acidic wastewater is particularly associated with canning processes.
Treatment
Waste removal from food factories requires professional treatment tailored to the substances present in each factory’s wastewater. Delays can make treatment more complicated, so timely handling is important. Treatment options include:
- Salt: specialised filtration and disposal under suitable conditions.
- Organic material: biological treatment in which bacteria break down organic matter into carbon dioxide and water. Activated-sludge processes use bacteria in the presence of oxygen; other facilities use bacteria that grow without oxygen.
- Fats: air flotation in separation tanks, followed by removal of the floating fatty layer.
- Acids: neutralisation with a suitable base. Where acidic and alkaline wastewater occur at the same factory, they may be combined in equalisation tanks.
- Suspended solids: removal using settling tanks.
Food-factory waste should be handled by qualified professionals with the necessary equipment and expertise. Appropriate safety procedures, experience and reliable treatment facilities are essential for safe, effective removal.