SPS Helps Make the Food Manufacturing Industry More Sustainable
Siltbuster Process Solutions (SPS), the leading provider of modular and packaged water treatment systems for the municipal and industrial wastewater sectors, were called in by Quattro Foods to install a brand-new effluent water waste treatment system that removes fats, oils and grease (FOG) from wastewater before discharge to drain.
Leading UK food manufacturer, Quattro Foods, based in Portsmouth, has always placed great emphasis on being an environmentally friendly organisation. So, when it decided it wanted to increase its food production capabilities, this posed the challenge of how to expand, yet remain sustainable at the current location.
In food processing applications, water is extensively used as an ingredient, an initial and intermediate cleaning source and as the principal agent for sanitising machinery and work areas. These processes can produce large volumes of mostly biodegradable liquid and solid waste, so Quattro Foods needed a solution that could treat this waste.
As experienced providers of packaged treatment plants, SPS designed a system that was able to fit within the very tight space constraints. The solution included flow balancing, pumps and flow meters for flow-proportional chemical dosing along with an iD5 Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit featuring integrated mixed reaction tanks. This very compact solution uses micro-fine air bubbles and lamella plates for the separation of solids, fats, oils and greases (FOG). These systems implemented by SPS allow Quattro Foods to achieve a cleaner discharge across the large range of products being produced. This helps to reduce Mogden charges, depending on the volume and strength of the effluent being discharged, and importantly reduces the problematic FOG content that would otherwise discharge into the drains and sewers downstream. The recovered solids and FOG matter are ultimately used as feedstock for an Anaerobic Digestion facility which again contributes to the sustainability theme.
Sam Brower, MD at Quattro Foods, comments: “We have always firmly believed that reducing water usage and wastewater discharge should be high on a food manufacturer’s list of critical issues. The Siltbuster Process Solutions system we implemented is not only compact and cost effective, but it is also efficient in terms of reducing the FOG and particulate content of the waste water. Their expertise allowed us to feel involved and part of the decision-making process from start to finish, with an end result which meets our business needs.”
Dr Richard Coulton, CEO of Siltbuster Group, commented: “The food manufacturing industry is one of particular interest to us, and one we feel still has significant room for improvement in terms of effluent water treatment. With this in mind, we were happy to be asked to help Quattro Foods, tasking us with designing a bespoke system to remove FOG and reduce discharge costs. Yet another interesting project that has benefited from SPS’s innovative treatment solutions.”
