How to Water recovery in the Soft Drink industry?
Despite the fact that each soft drink factory bottles different products and the water required comes from different sources (surface, well, or mains), there are a number of common processes in its production lines that can be used to generalise a basic scheme relating to the consumption of water of varying quality depending on its application (e.g., washing, services or processing).
The different bottling companies have their own protocols and even mark the water treatment lines to follow to homogenize the quality of their products and comply with the parameters required. It's common to use a process known as multi-barrier treatment, which involves purification in phases.
Pre-treatment in the soft-drink Industry
It can be observed that the water is subjected to a variety of sophisticated pre-treatment processes, depending on the source of supply. If surface water is utilized (for example, from a river, marsh, or lake), the procedure begins by removing the suspended particles and colloidal material that it often includes.
It is the initial phase, which involves removing bulk solids and pollutants. It generally begins with a skimming system (with bars of various lengths), sand removal, and, if necessary, the removal of floating particles. Following that, a NaOCl-type oxidising agent is dispensed, followed by physico-chemical treatment, which includes coagulating, flocculating, and decanting the suspended contaminants.
Coagulation: The colloidal micelles scattered in the water are neutralized by introducing compounds of opposite charge that cling to them during the coagulation process. Because of their low cost and low toxicity, aluminium salts such as Al2(SO4)3, aluminium polychloride (PAC), and iron salts such as Fe3Cl or FeSO4 are used.
After the coagulation chamber, the flocculation procedure normally takes place in a separate chamber. Flocculating agents are long-chain polymers that bind to microscopic particles and produce spongy lumps (flocs) of varying consistency and size, depending on the colloids' origin and the reagents employed.
Decanting or flotation (Separating the flocs based on their density): Depending on the area available and the density of the flocs to be separated, the clarifying or decanting devices may be conventional or lamellar. These methods are often utilized for this sort of supply water, however in some situations, low density flocs are formed, necessitating the use of a flotation system, such as dissolved air flotation (DAF) or cavitation air flotation (CAF).
The clarified water will typically still contain some suspended solids, resulting in a turbidity greater than 10 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units), necessitating the use of an additional process in the next phase of the multi barrier treatment: Filtration
Sand filters, dual filters, and multilayer filters are among the filtration technologies that have been used. Each has its own quirks, but they all function on the principle of percolation, which involves forcing raw water to flow through a bed of sand.
Post-treatment in the soft-drink Industry
The excess oxidant (typically Cl2) in treated water must be eliminated before it can be used in manufacturing. There may, however, be residues such as polymer residues, ion exchange resin monomers, or other types of micro contaminants that are not separated by the semi-permeable membrane treatment.
In this regard, activated carbon plays a critical function, since it can catalyse Cl2 and adsorb the micro-particles. However, due to the adsorption activity of activated carbon on organic matter, there are excellent sites for biological contamination in the lower sections of the columns that house the activated carbon: for example, those with a large surface area, lack of oxidants, and a probable excess of nutrients.
Conclusion
With the existing technology, significant progress has been made in lowering soft drink producer discharges and waste, but making further progress is becoming increasingly challenging. The fact that India is repurposing properly treated factory effluents as reclaimed water acceptable for human consumption adds a new dimension to water cycles and pollution reduction, which will enhance climatic conditions and hence our planet's future.
Make an appointment with Netsol Water for your free consultation or product-purchase related query now via phone at +919650608473 or contact via email at enquiry@netsolwater.com for a consultation on which methods of water treatment and recovery might be most effective for you.