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Further treatment of the wastewater derived from the processing of food at the Botany plant with microfiltration followed by ultraviolet/ chlorination disinfection system should be considered as a viable option. The reuse of this water in non-food manufacturing areas (e.g. scrubbers) and for irrigating surrounding parklands by the local council would help Kellogg’s to reduce its fresh water from the mains water supply, currently used by scrubbers, and also reduce its level of trade waste.
A value proposition analysis demonstrated that the sensitivity of the results can be explored for different data and assumptions. Initial results suggested a significant benefit compared to the cost, and the results appear to be sensitive to future water prices and to a lesser degree water use by council for irrigation. However, if there is no real change in water prices and no use of wastewater for irrigation by council over the next 20 years, then there appears to be no significant difference between costs and benefits.
The value proposition tool demonstration shows that the sensitivity of the results can be explored for different data and assumptions.
Several benefits were not included in the value analysis. The actual value of municipal irrigation is likely to be higher than considered in the analysis because of the social value associated with Kellogg’s contribution to the local community. This social value is difficult to quantify but should not be under-estimated. The cost for pumping and storage of treated wastewater to local parklands was not included in the estimated cost.
For the proposed option of further treating the wastewater (microfiltration followed by disinfection with ultraviolet light and chlorination), it is expected that the health and environmental regulatory requirements will be met and the risk of non-compliance of water quality after treatment to the required standards will be very small.
Recommendations:
- Further evaluate the microfiltration option. Microfiltration followed by an in-line ultraviolet light/chlorination disinfection system is considered a viable option to enable treated wastewater to be recycled to the scrubbers and used to irrigate parkland at Botany.
- Review and refine the data and assumptions as appropriate and revise the value proposition.
- Before investment decisions are made, work closely with equipment suppliers and carry out plant trials to ensure that the required water quality could be obtained from the technology option chosen. The physical constraints at the Botany site are an important factor in making investment decisions.
- Engage with the relevant state health and environmental regulators at the earliest stage possible for any planned external uses of the recycled water.
- Determine sodium concentrations in the final wastewater. This will be important for third-party users to determine if there are any sodium absorption ratio issues at planned external irrigation sites.
- Validate that the additional treatment does remove or reduce microorganisms.
- Undertake further microbiological testing of the wastewater to confirm the absence of any specific pathogens.
Develop a water-recycling risk management plan that meets regulatory requirements for any planned external uses.
RESOURCES
- Kellogg – Executive Summary
- Feasibility Study for Increasing Water Recycling at Kellogg Botany Plant
- Value Proposition Tool
- Value Proposition Summary Report
- Regulatory Framework Summary Report
- Technology Assessment Summary Report
| Water Recycling in Food Production and Manufacture | ||||
| Home | Dairy Trial 1 | Dairy Trial 2 | Kellogg | Meat Sector |