The food industry uses a lot of water and naturally creates a lot of wastewater. That wastewater is often filled with a high level of contaminants which need to be treated effectively before it can be discharged. These contaminants are composed of both organic and inorganic materials and in certain quantities can be particularly harmful to the environment.
Today we’re taking a look at some of the main contaminants found during wastewater treatment.
If your business operates in the food industry and discharges trade effluent containing harmful contaminants you are required to obtain consent to discharge. These contaminants include organic and inorganic materials, high pH levels, and other substances that may have a harmful environmental impact. This generally does not apply to rainwater from roofs or drains or staff washroom facilities.
To obtain a Trade Effluent Consent you are required to contact the Sewerage Undertaker. You can find out more information about consent to discharge and other environmental obligations of your business by visiting Ofwat.gov.uk.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) are made up of both organic and inorganic material and can usually not be dissolved sufficiently for a filtration system. Typically a high TSS count indicates a high amount of bacteria, metals, and other elements including small plant and animal particles that have broken away and become suspended solids.
If TSS is not treated correctly it can harm the environment in several ways. In particular, it can negatively decrease the amount of oxygen available. Excessive TSS also increases cloudiness in water (also known as turbidity) and this, in turn, blocks out sunlight that is necessary for algae to produce oxygen causing further strain on the environment.
Using Conical Cone Tanks it’s possible to efficiently eliminate TSS. Some tanks remove and store TSS from wastewater allowing it to be dried out and disposed of separately while others can decant the treated water from the settled sludge.
Food industry wastewater often has a high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). BOD is a measurement of the amount of organic material in water and its effect on the available dissolved oxygen. The microorganisms in the water are using the dissolved oxygen for oxidation.
If the BOD level is high that means that a lot of the dissolved oxygen in water is being used by microorganisms. This puts increasing strain on all forms of aquatic life. Naturally, reducing BOD levels is a vitally important part of any successful wastewater treatment process. A low BOD level drastically improves the quality of water and reduces potentially harmful effects on the environment.
Dealing with fat, oils, and grease (FOG) is a demanding task for wastewater treatment processes. In an ideal world, FOG would not enter the wastewater system at all. This is because as FOG cools it solidifies and congeals damaging pipes and tanks. It is then also much more difficult to biodegrade. Sludge volume tends to increase with high levels of FOG which creates problems with flocculation tanks.
There are several ways to effectively break down FOG in wastewater. An additive process called bioaugmentation introduces microorganisms to break down bonds between fatty acids and glycerol. This can be labour-intensive requiring the regular introduction of new microorganisms. A growing alternative involves stimulating indigenous bacteria to biodegrade FOG. This has been shown to have positive impacts on the TSS levels: reducing sludge volume and improving settlement.
Comprehensively treating wastewater and remaining environmentally-friendly requires the best equipment. Food and drinks manufacturers have a responsibility to reduce pollutants as much as possible to safeguard the environment and protect the sewer systems.
At Enduramaxx, we have everything needed to create a wastewater treatment process that works. We stock a full range of high-quality tanks that includes everything from Conical Cone Tanks to Water and Chemical Tanks. Visit our store today and see how we can help your business with treatment for contaminants in food wastewater.