Water is the most common raw material used in the food and beverage industries. As a result of rising water demand and wastewater production, this industrial sector has a negative impact on the environment and the economy.
With the scarcity of drinking water, the reuse of wastewater streams has become an important economic and environmental concern. As a result, optimizing water consumption and wastewater reuse in the food industry is critical.
Let’s see the effect of water pollution caused by food industries in India, and their effective treatment.
Wastewater pollutants caused by food industries
Food processing wastewater contains significant amounts of organic carbon, nitrogenous organics, inorganics, nutrients, suspended and dissolved particles, and has high biochemical and chemical oxygen requirements, making it one of the most difficult and costly wastes to manage.
Food waste comes in many different shapes and sizes, each with its own set of problems. Meat and poultry products, dairy products, canned and preserved fruits, and vegetables, grain products, sugar, and related confectionaries, fats, and oils, and beverages and brewing are some examples.
BOD and COD levels in many wastes are in the thousands of milligrams per liter, whereas COD levels in others, such as cheesemaking, winemaking, and olive milling, are in the tens of thousands. As a result, each waste type will have its own set of issues, and, in addition to concerns about technological performance, seasonality complicates treatment options and operations, in a variety of industries.
Use of wastewater treatment plants in the food industries
Since, they discharge hazardous and polluted water into the environment, industries are major contributors to global industrial pollution. For industries, strict wastewater discharge criteria have been established. As a result, industries are now required to treat wastewater before releasing it into the environment.
In order to improve sustainability, many industries are researching water recycling and reuse strategies. While, water scarcity poses a significant threat to food businesses, water conversation methods can assist them in reducing their water footprint, and operating more efficiently.
How to solve Water pollution caused by food industries?
Electrocoagulation: It is an electrochemical technique commonly used in primary treatment, to eliminate a variety of wastewater components. This system is typically used as part of an integrated food wastewater treatment system, for food enterprises all over the world.
EC has a low lifecycle cost, is easy to operate, and is a green treatment system, with a lot of potential in the food industry for wastewater treatment.
Anaerobic Treatment: It is a biological method that is ideal for the pre-treatment of wastewater from the food industry. When used prior to aerobic treatment, an anaerobic system can be very effective and cost-effective for removing high amounts of BOD and COD, because it concentrates biological action and reduces heat loss.
Anaerobic bacteria degrade organic compounds in wastewater, emitting methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sludge accumulates at the bottom, and a crust may form on top.
Membrane Bioreactor: A membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a wastewater treatment method that combines a membrane process, such as microfiltration or ultrafiltration, with a biological system, such as activated sludge. It is now widely used in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater.
MBR technology is widely used in almost every sector of the food industry, and it is frequently regarded as the best treatment solution, especially where water reuse is required.
Ultrafiltration: Water is forced through a semipermeable membrane during the ultrafiltration (UF) process. Water and low-molecular-weight solutes pass through the membrane to the permeate side, whereas suspended particles and high-molecular-weight solutes remain on the retentate side.
Reverse Osmosis: In the food industry, RO is used to concentrate fruit and vegetable juices, pre-concentrate milk and whey, and de-alcoholise alcoholic beverages.
The use of RO as a final phase of wastewater treatment for water reuse, and valuable component recovery appears to be promising in wastewater reclamation.
Conclusion
Since, it deals with products that are ultimately destined for human consumption, it's tempting to believe that the food and beverage industry requires more biological wastewater treatment, than other industries.
Nonetheless, food waste streams frequently contain excess biological material that, if not properly discharged, can endanger the environment and publicly owned treatment plants.
How can we assist?
Netsol Water has aided in the resolution of hundreds of water-related problems, by utilizing a wide range of specialized water treatment and wastewater treatment technologies, in many food industries of India.