Waste water treatment: dealing with the FOG of processing
Virtually all food processors experience the common challenge of managing wastewater from the production and maintenance aspects of their operations. Processors of dairy foods and flavorings typically have particular issues to address with regard to the constant presence of fats, oils and grease (FOG), as well as surfactants such as soaps and sanitizers from the wash-down phases of their housekeeping practices. Together, these items can cause significant variations in the pH of effluents from day to day.
For these reasons, not to mention the increasingly restrictive discharge standards in many areas, escalating costs of surcharges imposed by publicly operated treatment works (POTWs) and simply a desire among many food processors to have better control over their fresh water use, many firms that generate wastewater are turning to in-house pre-treatment systems that offer a more streamlined path to cost-effective environmental compliance.