23 - Water recycling in the food industry

Abstract

Publisher Summary The tremendous growth of human population, contamination of both surface and ground waters, uneven distribution of water resources, and frequent drought problems have forced water bodies to search for new sources of water supply for both domestic and commercial use. A viable option is through water recycling, which has gained much attention during recent years. Water recycling refers to all the activities involved in the treatment, storage, and distribution of once-used water. The term “recycled water” basically refers to treated wastewater that can be reused for beneficial purposes. It can also refer to untreated wastewater, if the contamination level is within acceptable limits for the desired application. Other terms used may be “reclaimed water” or “reclaimed wastewater”. This chapter explains the basic concepts and issues involved in water recycling in food and beverage processing industries. These include the water purity standards and an overview of opportunities for water savings and recycling in food processing plants. The chapter discusses the food processing industry, water in food processing plants, water recycling technologies, water purity standards, water recycling opportunities, water conservation measures, designing of a water recycling scheme, and benefits and drawbacks of water recycling and also presents some case studies.