Dairy, Greenfield

Challenges

Prolactal is a leading value-added dairy ingredients producer headquartered in Hartberg, Austria.

For many years the plant had discharged its wastewater to the municipal sewage system. Due to capacity limitations of the local municipal WWTP the plant had been required to construct its own WWTP.

Dairies’ wastewater which generated mainly from washing and cleaning of production lines, are characterized by high concentrations and fluctuations of organic matter, fat and nutrients.

The client required that the new WWTP will address the following challenges:

• Robust and sustainable process
• Minimize WWTP footprint
• Adapt to fluctuations and periodical production changes
• Minimizing energy consumption
• Reduction of operational costs
• Sustainable process which will comply with the group’s targets

Solution

The limited area which was designated for the new WWTP required a creative tailor made design to cope with projects objectives and client’s requirements. Due to the need for a traditional design a conventional activated sludge  process was selected by the client.

Prolactal WWTP process is consisted of primary treatment relaying on DAF for Oil & Gas and solids removal, 5 stages CAS process (anoxic, anaerobic, aerobic, aerobic and post anoxic) followed by a secondary DAF and a final Lamella Clarifier for ultimate phosphorus removal.  An anaerobic digester is will  digest the primary and secondary sludges produces  4500 Nm³/d biogas.

The biogas is being converted to electricity in a CHP unit supplying about 70% of the average energy demands of the WWTP. In order to reduce overall operational costs a high efficiency heat pump based sludge dryer is included to minimize sludge discharge amounts.

As full turn-key project, Aqwise scope of supply included engineering, permitting, procurement, construction and commissioning. Aqwise is also providing a full operation and maintenance of  the WWTP for 12 years.

Summary

The new WWTP was executed as a full turnkey project.  The design allows high and stable removal efficiency of pollutants at dairy’s wastewater. As a part of Prolactal and ICL sustainability strategy, the WWTP was design to perform high efficient energy balance  complying with the group’s energy consumption and carbon foot print reduction targets.  The  electricity consumption savings due to Aqwise tailor made design sums to approximately €500,000 per year.

• 
  Durable & Stable Process
• 
  Energy Production and Operations Costs Savings
• 
  Small Footprint
• 
  Full Turn-Key Project