Industry solution

Meat and Poultry Wastewater Treatment

Ecologix provides comprehensive wastewater treatment technologies and services for every facet of the meat and poultry processing industries. From preliminary screening of grit or feathers to physical/chemical separation and sludge management, we will help bring your facility into compliance with local wastewater discharge permit requirements.

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Meat and poultry processing wastewater flows

Federal regulations require cleaning and sanitation after every killing and processing shift. This cleanup often uses more water than meat processing itself. Because time can pass between shifts and cleanup, wastewater generation can be inconsistent.

All meat processes generate wastewater with high TSS, FOG, and BOD. Inconsistent high-load flows can overwhelm municipal treatment plants and lead to significant discharge surcharges or, in severe cases, permit termination.

A properly designed physical and chemical pretreatment system can remove TSS, FOG, and high BOD concentrations to help bring effluent to permissible city-sewer discharge levels.

Typical wastewater levels before treatment

Parameter	Raw water	Pre-treatment reduction
Total suspended solids (TSS)	600-4,500 mg/L	Up to 99%
Fat, oil, and grease (FOG)	100-2,000 mg/L	Up to 99%
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)	2,500-8,000 mg/L	Up to 85%
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)	4,500-12,000 mg/L	Up to 75%

Influent characteristics

Typical measured contaminant levels as wastewater leaves the production plant:

COD: 4,500-12,000 mg/L
BOD: 2,500-8,000 mg/L
TSS: 600-4,500 mg/L
FOG: 100-2,000 mg/L

Required effluent characteristics

Typical limits before discharge to publicly owned treatment works:

COD: 500-1,000 mg/L
BOD: 250-500 mg/L
TSS: 250 mg/L
FOG: 100 mg/L

Optimum treatment solutions

Meat and poultry wastewater generally requires pretreatment before discharge to municipal sewers. The focus is reducing contaminants that lead to surcharges: TSS, FOG, and BOD. This treatment can be centered on dissolved air flotation technology.

Pretreatment systems are sized by daily flow and hours of operation. Balancing capital cost and operating expense is key to sustainable treatment.

An enhanced DAF system can reduce FOG by up to 99% and TSS by up to 97%. Flocculant addition and pH adjustment can be automated with the Ecologix E-Series Dissolved Air Flotation System.

Wastewater pretreatment process flow diagram for poultry processing

DAF process description

A DAF system injects microscopic air bubbles into the DAF tank.
The bubbles attach to insoluble pollutant materials and float them to the surface.
Heavier food-processing materials may require flocculants, which form clusters that float to the pretreatment vessel surface.
Surface contaminants, or sludge, are scraped from the water and removed from the process.
Clean water exits at the bottom of the DAF vessel and can be discharged to the sewer.

Poultry wastewater pretreatment process flow diagram

Ecologix can configure a treatment system to screen and treat wastewater for local municipal requirements. Call 1-678-514-2100 or contact us to discuss your operation.