Veolia Water Technologies has successfully optimised an effluent treatment plant (ETP) for butter and cream producer Kerry Foods.
By switching to a plant-based coagulant, the processing facility in Yorkshire has been able to reduce its volume of sludge by a staggering 50%.
As such, Veolia Water Technologies has removed the manufacturer’s annual cost for sludge collection and removal, hence a significant part of the carbon footprint associated with it.
The Kerry Foods facility in Ossett, West Yorkshire, is a butter and cream processing factory. Its ETP relies on a dissolved air flotation (DAF) unit that had been utilising traditional metal-based coagulants. However, the Kerry Foods team – including Engineering Maintenance Manager Owen Millar – were keen to improve the process and were receptive when Veolia Water Technologies’ proposed to use a plant-based coagulant to optimise the DAF.
Veolia Water Technologies was well placed to provide a solution; having existing relationships with another Kerry Foods Following an initial meeting with the team at the Yorkshire site, Brian Jones, Business Development Manager at Veolia Water Technologies identified a significant potential to make savings.
A key area identified for optimisation was the quantity of sludge produced 3by the ETP. The existing process required weekly sludge collections, which cost the facility approximately £50,000 a year. After carrying out jar tests, Veolia Water Technologies recommended chemical dosing using its plant-based coagulant HYDREX 62925 to reduce the volume of sludge generated by 50%, whilst still adhering to the Trade Effluent Consent Agreement.
HYDREX 62925 is a plant-based coagulant that offers a more sustainable wastewater solution compared to conventional metal-based products. The HYDREX 6000 series provides a range of solutions for the industrial and chemical sectors that can be tailored to provide bespoke chemistry to suit the requirements of any ETP.
As a result of the more concentrated sludge at Kerry Foods – which potentially has a 50% higher calorific value than before – Veolia Water Technologies advised that it could potentially be sold for Anaerobic Digestor (AD) feed. Owen sent samples of the DAF sludge for independent testing, which confirmed its suitability for AD feed sites. This was a real added advantage of switching to the plant-based coagulant, rather than pay out weekly removal costs, Kerry Foods can now earn additional revenue.
In addition, by recycling waste from its production process, Kerry Foods has also been able to reduce its overall environmental impact by achieving an approximately 75% reduction in transport movements associated with sludge collection; this has contributed to the facility’s reduction in carbon footprint. Further environmental benefits have been gained by replacing traditional metal-based coagulants with a plant-based chemical solution, which provides a more ecological solution alongside reduced chemical dosing and decreased handling risks for operatives.
Owen Millar, Engineering Maintenance Manager at the Kerry Foods facility commented:
“The Veolia Water Technologies team were very helpful throughout the process, providing assistance, whilst also giving us plenty of time to run trials and make informed decisions.”
Furthermore, Veolia Water Technologies provided training and support for the operators. This ensured the smooth implementation of the new treatment process and allowed for any initial issues with dosing and pH control to be dealt with quickly.
Operators on site have also benefited from the increased reliability and stability of the new chemical process, meaning less time is being spent overseeing the ETP, freeing time for other important responsibilities.
“Veolia Water Technologies offered expert knowledge and that has enabled us to make significant operational savings, whilst decreasing our environmental impact,” added Owen. “As a result, I would recommend them to any other food and beverage site looking to optimise their processes and explore cost-saving options.”
