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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