United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Water Engineering
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/S2-85/076 Aug. 1985
Project Summary
Strategies  for Water and
Waste  Reduction   in  Dairy
Food  Plants
W. J. Harper, R. A. M. Delaney, I. A. Igbeka, M. E. Parkin,
W. E. Schiffermiller, T. E. Ross, and R. A. Williams
  A study was undertaken to reduce
water and waste discharges in a com-
plex,  multiproduct dairy food plant
through management control and mod-
ifications of equipment and processes.
The objectives were  to  develop ap-
proaches that would be broadly appli-
cable throughout the dairy industry and
to determine the economic and envi-
ronmental impacts of the programs in-
stituted.
  The Kroger Dairy Company at Indi-
anapolis, Indiana, was the study site.
This plant was chosen because  it was
well engineered, discharged its wastes
to a municipality, was under average
management control, and had not pre-
viously had an extensive waste control
program. As such, it was typical of
more than two-thirds of the dairy
plants in this country.
  Detailed studies were made to deter-
mine the plant areas contributing major
waste loads and the economic feasibil-
ity of reducing these loads. A manage-
ment  control program was developed
and implemented over a  6-month pe-
riod. This program included major in-
creases in direct supervision of  waste
control. A computer  linear program
was applied to the four processing
areas to determine economic factors in-
volved in wastewater discharges and to
help select the  most economical pro-
cess and equipment changes that could
be made.
  The study concluded that material re-
duction can be  achieved economically
in dairy food plants that have not previ-
ously  given attention to this matter.
  This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Water Engineering Re-
search Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to
announce key findings of the research
project that is fully documented in a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering information at
back).

Introduction
  As regulations of effluents from mu-
nicipal water treatment plants become
more restrictive, dairies  and other
major contributors of organic matter
will face considerable pressure to re-
duce their loads, increase pretreatment,
or provide full secondary  treatment.
The Kroger Dairy Company at Indiana-
polis, Indiana, has conducted  a 2-year
investigation to reduce processing
wastewater through a combination of
management control and process
equipment modification. The objectives
were to develop approaches that would
be broadly applicable throughout the
dairy industry and to determine the eco-
nomic and environmental  impacts of
the programs instituted.
  The Kroger plant receives up to 2 mil-
lion Ib of fluid milk per day, and it man-
ufactures fluid milk products, cottage
cheese, and  frozen desserts. The com-
pany operates three shifts per day 5 to 6
days per week. All wastewater is dis-
charged  to the Indianapolis Municipal
Treatment Plant.

Plant Description
  Before control procedures were intro-
duced, the plant discharged 400,000 to

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800,000 gal of wastewater per process-
ing day. This water contained 10,000 to
15,000 Ib of BOD. The composition of
the wastewater was typical of other
dairy plants of the same type and size.
The mean strength of the wastewater
components is listed in Table 1.

Procedures
  Detailed studies were made to deter-
mine the areas that  contributed major
waste loads, and an investigation was
conducted of the economic feasibility of
reducing  these loads. Determinations
were made of the unavoidable and pre-
ventable  wastes  in  each  department.
Preventable waste made up about 50%
of the total waste load and was  consid-
ered to be controllable by the  applica-
tion of good management practices.
Unavoidable  wastes were associated
with the  design  of the plant.  Studies
were therefore done to determine the
feasibility of altering  the process, or the
equipment, or both to reduce these
wastes further.
  A management control program was
developed and  implemented in  the
plant over a 6-month period. This pro-
gram  included appointing two waste
control supervisors  (first and  second
shift), increasing supervision  on the
second shift by creating a  new position
of general  foreman,  implementing  an
educational program, altering  the
maintenance  program to cover items
that caused major losses of water or in-
gredients, and implementing plant sur-
veys and recordkeeping.
  A computer linear  program  was ap-
plied  to the four different processing
areas to  determine  the economic  fac-
tors involved  in wastewater discharges
and to provide a  basis for determining
the most economical process and
equipment changes that could be made.

Results and Conclusions
  As long  as direct supervision was
maintained on a  regular  basis, water
use in the  plant  was reduced  by one-
third and the organic waste load was
reduced by one-half. When this empha-
sis was decreased because of other re-
sponsibilities of the waste supervisors,
the wastewater volume and strength re-
turned to the level that existed before
the introduction of the program. For this
reason, a full-time resource  control
manager was appointed to  work on a
flexible time program. With renewed
emphasis, the waste loads were again
reduced and  maintained  at the levels
previously achieved.
Table 1.    Composition of Kroger Dairy
          Wastewater* in Indianapolis,
          Indiana
   Parameter
Mean Concentration
      (mg/L)
COD

BODS

Total solids

Suspended solids

Volatile suspended
      4100

      2200

      3130

       566
solids
Fat
Protein
Carbohydrate
Chloride
Phosphorus
Sodium
Calcium
Magnesium
500
260
446
1300
400
52
230
168
28
*pH = 6.6.
  Process and equipment changes were
made that reduced water discharges by
100,000 gal per day and reduced waste
strength about 20% at an economic sav-
ings projected  at $200,000 per year.
  The study at the Kroger plant in Indi-
anapolis indicates that material  reduc-
tion can be achieved economically in
dairy food  plants that have not previ-
ously given attention to this matter.
  The full report was submitted in fulfill-
ment of Grant No. R 803374 by The Ohio
State University  and the Kroger Com-
pany under the sponsorship of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.

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     W. J. Harper. R. A. M. Delaney. I. A, Igbeka. andM. E. Parkin are with Ohio State
       University, Columbus. OH 432)0; W. E. Schiffermiller, T. E. Ross, and R. A.
       Williams are with the Kroger Company.  Cincinnati. OH 45202.
     Kenneth Dostal is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
     The complete report, entitled "Strategies for Water and Waste Reduction in Dairy
       Food Plants," {Order No. PB 85-216 505/AS; Cost: $25.00, subject to change)
       will be available only from:
            National Technical Information Service
            5285 Port Royal Road
            Springfield. VA 22161
            Telephone: 703-487-4650
     The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
            Water Engineering Research Laboratory
            U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
            Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
O*f:cial Business
Penaltv tor Private Use $300
EPA.600/S2-85/076
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