WATER RECYCLING IN THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY
Larry L. Russell, Manager
Cheryl Creson, Senior Engineer
James M. Montgomery Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Walnut Creek, California 94598
Takashi Asano, Water Reclamation Specialist
Office of Water Recycling
California State Water Resources Control Board
Sacramento, California 95801
James M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineers, Inc. is conducting two parallel studies for
evaluation of water recycle/reuse in the food processing industry. One study is funded by
the California State Water Resources Control Board Office of Water Recycling (OWR) and
is restricted primarily to canners and cold packers of fruits and vegetables on the West
Coast. The evaluation sponsored by OWR constitutes an integral part of the State's water
supply planning because the food processors represent the major industrial fresh-water consumer in California, using an estimated 84 billion gallons in 1972. The California drought
of 1976-1977 led to a temporary reduction of fresh-water use in the industry. A trend for
return to predrought quantities has developed. Therefore, increased recycle in food processing could represent an efficient utilization of water supply [ 1 ]. The project report, "Evaluation
of Water Recycling in the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry of California," is now in
preparation.
The second study is funded by the Department of the Interior Office of Water Research
and Technology (OWRT); it encompasses all of the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
20 Food and Kindred Products Industry throughout the United States. The OWRT project
also represents a step in water supply planning; the goal of the project is quantification of
the water recycle potential in food processing. The evaluation of reuse/recycle in this area
is particularly involved due to the sanitation and public health concerns. The project is
scheduled for completion in September and will culminate in a report entitled "Water Recycle and Reuse in the Food Processing Industry."
PURPOSE
The rising costs of water supply and wastewater disposal have increased the economic
incentives for investigating and implementing process water recycle in industry nationwide.
The Food and Kindred Products Industry may be a rewarding area for water recycle, since
it is a significant water-using industry in the United States, withdrawing an estimated 2,842
mgd of fresh water in 1975, which accounts for 3.2% of the nation's industrial water withdrawals [2]. In California, the food processing industry is the largest industrial consumer of
fresh water, and it utdizes 50% more water than the second largest user, the pulp and paper
industry.
Due to rising utdity costs and to difficulties in obtaining large and highly variable water
supplies with the resultant problems of wastewater disposal, individual food processors
may need to recycle process water to survive in the marketplace. A processor in an arid
or semi-arid region pays more for water than a processor located in an area of abundant
fresh water. For example, a citrus processor in Southern California would likely pay more
for water than a citrus processor in Florida. Recycle is a method of lowering the processing
costs by reducing water, waste, and energy costs which can result in the improved competitive
position of processors in water-short areas such as Southern California.
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