Food processors generally discharge very large quantities of wastewater. Most discharge streams contain high quantities of organic matter creating high BOD, TSS and TDS counts. ClearBlu can typically reduce BOD and TSS by 85% to 97%. With non-chemical sterilization, we can make your wastewater usable for cleaning, irrigation, and dust control. For all your food processing wastewater treatment, contact ClearBlu today!

ClearBlu offers highly customizable solutions for the wastewater treatment needs of food processors. Choosing a ClearBlu treatment system offers multiple cost-saving benefits:

  • Expensive pump and haul events are reduced or eliminated
  • Sewer surcharges incurred from exceeding discharge parameters can be eliminated
  • Energy savings can be accomplished by switching from outdated and inefficient technologies – energy rebates are frequently obtained
  • Water use/costs can be reduced if reclamation is implemented
  • Chemical costs are reduced over systems that require flocculent or coagulant, also eliminating hazardous materials hauling fees
  • Full-time operators are not necessary, resulting in decreased overhead for system operation

Systems can be implemented in stages, depending on the changing and growing needs of the facility. The systems are also easily expandable, allowing for lower initial capital investment for facilities that are lower production or just starting out. The system can grow as the facility grows.

Pretreatment components include customized lift stations, solids separation, and pH balancing. While the treatment portion of the system is easily expandable, pretreatment components are recommended to be sized for the maximum projected production level of the facility, therefore rendering upgrades unnecessary as the facility grows.

Lift stations are tailored to the specific needs of the facility’s waste stream. We take into consideration factors such as pH, temperature, and flow rate of the waste stream to design a lift station that will be the most efficient and durable for even the harshest of wastewater. Options such as high temperature and/or stainless steel sump pumps, vinyl ester linings, duplexing lift stations, and audible/visual alarm systems are among the many customizable features of our lift stations.

Solids separation is accomplished through the use of gravity flow waterfall hydroscreens. Through years of development and continued improvements, ClearBlu has designed a simple and highly effective means of separating solids that requires no or low energy and very little maintenance. Wastewater is lifted into the stainless steel unit where water gravity flows over a wedgewire screen that is set at an angle. The wedgewire catches solids which slough off the front and drop into a dewatering hopper, while the screened water passes through the wedgewire and on to the next stage of the system. Many applications benefit from the addition of an automatic spraybar system to help keep the wedgewire clean and free from blinding. These spraybars operate on a timer to ensure that water use is kept to a minimum. Our spraybar system can reduce water use by up to 90% over traditional rotary drum screens and has significantly fewer parts that require maintenance. Screening out solids both protects subsequent components of the treatment system as well as reducing chemical use significantly during pH balancing. Solids removal is also an important step to aid in the efficient treatment of wastewater via aerobic digestion.

pH balancing is an important step of pretreatment. Many sewer districts require only solids separation and/or pH balancing prior to discharge into the sewer systems, and if full treatment is desired then pH balancing is critical for successful aerobic digestion. Once wastewater has excess solids removed, pH balancing requires less chemical, as solids tend to act as a sponge and soak up the chemical. Our experience has shown that up to (XX%) less chemical is used if solids separation is implemented. Because ClearBlu systems utilize aerobic digestion for wastewater treatment, a pH between 6-10 is required for a hospitable environment for bacteria to digest organic material. ClearBlu has designed ruggedized automatic pH balancing systems to accommodate a wide variety of flow rates. They employ digital controls and programming to facilitate in maintaining a narrow pH range that allows for minimal chemical consumption. Stainless steel mixing eductors ensure that water is adequately mixed in real time, preventing over or under correction. The digital pH sensor is fitted with a compressed air cleaning system that prevents binding that can occur quickly in wastewater environments. A variable speed chemical pump operates on a 4 to 20 mV system that allows for finite dosing of balancing chemical. These systems are small footprint with large capabilities.

Aerobic treatment is accomplished by using energy efficient microbubble aerators to create a highly oxygenated environment that allows bacteria to thrive. With excess organic solids removed and a neutral pH, ClearBlu’s customized blend of pseudomonas and bacillus bacteria can efficiently digest organic material to meet discharge requirements and enable water reuse if desired. This aerobic process can digest through existing layers of organic sludge in ponds or tanks, thus avoiding the need for costly dredging procedures if existing organic sludge is an issue. Another benefit of an aerobic system is that the process is odor free, as the bacteria’s byproduct of digestion is carbon dioxide and not foul smelling methane or sulfide compounds as with anaerobic digestion.

Download/View Wastewater FAQ for Food Processor Industries