Treatment of Dairy Waste Water
The average volume of waste water in dairies is currently 1.3 l/kg milk. This results in considerable waste water disposal costs. The centrifugal separation technology from GEA Westfalia Separator paves the way for major potential savings by minimizing the use of fresh water and reducing the volume of residual sludge.
Hygiene is the most important factor in milk processing and the production of dairy products. This necessarily results in the use of considerable volumes of water for cleaning purposes. In addition, considerable quantities of waste water with volatile milk constituents, fats and proteins occur when milk is being processed, particularly during evaporation and spray-drying.
GEA Westfalia Separator supplies ideal modules for this application in the form of special decanters which save money, boost efficiency and are user-friendly.
Waste water treatment in dairies
After aerobic or anaerobic biological treatment of dairy waste waters, the residual sludge is sent through a clarifying decanter which efficiently dewaters the sludge before the clean water is recycled back into the process. A calculation by the Verband der deutschen Milchwirtschaft (Association of German Dairying) shows how in-plant waste water treatment pays: direct dischargers, i. e. operations with their own waste water processing facility, operate with costs that are up to two thirds lower than users of municipal waste water treatment plants.