WASTEWATER GENERATION

The dairy industry is one of the most

polluting of industries, not only in terms of
the volume of effluent generated, but also in
terms of its characteristics as well.
A chain of operations involving receiving
and storing of raw materials, processing of
raw materials into finished products,
packaging and storing of finished products,
and a group of other ancillary operations
(e.g., heat transfer and cleaning) will
produce wastewater.
 In the dairy industry, some amount of
wastewater gets produced during starting,
equilibrating, stopping, and rinsing of the
processing units. However, a majority of
wastewater gets produced during cleaning
operations, especially between product
changes when different types of products are
produced in a specific production unit and
clean-up operations. Dairy processing effluents
are generated in an intermittent way and the
flow rates of these effluents change
significantly. The quality and quantity of the
product content in the dairy wastewater at a
given time changes with the application of
another technological cycle in the processing
line.
SOURCES OF WASTEWATER
DAIRY PROCESS
Preparation stages
1) Milk receiving/storage.
2) Pasteurization/Ultra heat
treatment
SOURCES OF WASTE
Poor drainage of tankers
Spills and leaks from
pipes
Foaming
Spils from storage tanks
Cleaning operations
Liquid losses
Foaming
Recovery of downgraded
product
Cleaning operations
Deposits on surface of
heating equipment.
3) Homogenisation Liquid losses/leaks
Cleaning operations
4) Separation/Clarification Foaming
Pipe leaks
Product Processing
Stage Product washing
5) Market milk Sludge removal from
clarifier
Damaged milk packages
Overfilling
Poor drainage
Cleaning of filling
machinery
Leaks
Cleaning operations
6) Cheese Making Overfilling vats
Incomplete separation of
whey from curd
Using salt in cheese
making
7) Butter Making
Product washing
Vacreation( reduced
pressure pasteurization
8) Milk powder manufacture using stream) and salt use.
Spills of powder handling
Start up and shut down
losses
Plant malfunction
Stack losses
Cleaning of evaporators
and driers
Bagging losses
 EFFLUENT GENERATION FROM VARIOUS UNITS
OF MILK OPERATION
DS RECEIVING EF
WW
DS WW STORAGE TANK EF
DSWW CLARIFICATION/STANDARDIZATION EF
DS WW,CW,ST PASTEURIZATION EF
DS WW HOMOGENISATION EF
ST, DS WW DEODORISATION EF

DS WW STORAGE TANK EF
DS WW PACKING EF

DS WW STORAGE EF

TRANSPORTATION EF

DS-Detergents and Sanitizing Agents, WW-Wash Water, ST-Steam, CW-Cooling Water.

CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE WATER
Dairy wastewater contains milk solids, detergents,
sanitizers, milk wastes, and cleaning water.

It is characterized by high concentrations of nutrients,

and organic and inorganic contents.

Salting activities during cheese production may result in

high salinity levels.

Wastewater may also contain acids, alkali with a number

of active ingredients, and disinfectants, as well as a
significant microbiological load, pathogenic viruses, and
bacteria.

Other wastewater streams include cooling water from

BIS GUIDELINES OF PARAMETERS
Parameters UNITS GUIDELINE VALUE

pH - 4-12
Suspended solids mg/l 24-5700
BOD5 mg/l 450-4,790
COD mg/l 80 - 95000
Total nitrogen mg/l 15-180
Total phosphorus mg/l 11-160
Oil and grease mg/l 10
Total coliform bacteria Mpn/100ml 400
Magnesium mg/l 25-49
Potassium mg/l 11-160
Chloride mg/l 48-469
Calcium mg/l 57-112
BOD : COD RATIO

BOD:COD Ratio of Milk Constituents

1.4
1.2
BOD:COD

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Whole

Skim

Butter

Whey

Lactose

Casein

Protein

Fat
Milk

Whey
Milk
Milk

Constituents
 TREATMENT METHODS
Primary: Secondary:
i. Physical i. Biological
Treatment Treatment
ii. Chemical ii. Chemical
Treatment Treatment
iii. Membrane
Method
iv. Electrolytic
Method
Primary Treatment
Secondary Treatment
Aerobic Process of Treatment
 ANAEROBIC PROCESS OF
TREATMENT
Conventional Anaerobic Digester
Anaerobic Contact Digester
Anaerobic Fixed Film Reactor
Up flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket
Two Phase / Hybrid Reactor
Combined - Anaerobic & Aerobic
Process
 Chemical Treatment
It can reduce COD by 78% and BOD by 84%.
Membrane Method:
It can reclaim Valuable milk solids or
chemicals for resale, reuse or less expensive
method.
Electrolytic Method
Miscellaneous and Modified Method
TERTIARY TREATMENT(Optional)
 BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
Aerobic Anaerobic

Applicability low strength: low, medium and high strength:

(BOD, mg/l) (100 - 2000 mg/l) (250 - > 100.000 mg/l)

BOD-removal: 93-99% 90%

NH3-conversion: 95% low

NO3-removal: 90%* high

 Advantage Disadvantage

Anaer * possible production of energy * optimal process temperature is about 30C

* low need for land * post-treatment for BOD-removal is often
obic
* power failure or shutdown will not required
affect the system
* no energy consumption
* low production of excess sludge

Aerob * low process temperature * energy need for aeration

* end treatment of waste-water * high need for land
ic
* power failure or shutdown will affect the
entire system
* post-treatment for further nutrient removal is
often required
* high production of excess sludge