Tackling climate change and water scarcity in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Article
Food and Beverage
Following one of the wettest winters on record, and a rainy spring, it may seem counter-intuitive to talk about water scarcity. However, 40% of UK regions are expected to be severely water-stressed by 2030, predicted to rise to 70% by 2040*.
The fact is that climate change is causing more extreme weather events, alongside the challenges of a growing population and increasing demand for water. UK water companies and the Environment Agency are rightly prioritising infrastructure improvements and changes to manage these challenges and ensure public supply whilst protecting the environment.
These changes will impact the food and beverage industry in terms of cost and water availability, particularly those with the highest water demand.
The effects of climate change are having both a practical and financial effect on food and beverage manufacturing.
In the coming years, the UK is set to see an increase in water demand for renewable energy, such as water for hydro-energy production, and for cooling for nuclear power cooling and carbon capture.
With increasing pressure on water resources, Food and Beverage companies need to assess the current and future needs, to protect their resilience and enable sustainable growth and innovation.
Fortunately, there has been significant innovation in terms of managing excess rainwater sustainably and in water recycling for reuse. The key to sustainability will be to adopt solutions and practices to recover and reuse water resources effectively.
Excess stormwater is problematic. In addition to the risk of flooding, excess rainwater entering your wastewater treatment plant can cause a sudden change in plant biology or lead to the plant running over capacity. Both scenarios can lead to disruption and unplanned expenses. Fortunately, there are measures to manage this:
SuDS are highly effective in managing excess stormwater by mimicking natural water processes to mitigate flooding and reduce pollution. SuDS techniques, such as permeable pavements, SuDS planters, green roofs, and rain gardens, allow stormwater to infiltrate the ground or enter the drainage system at a significantly reducedrate thus reducing runoff volumes and peak flows.
Rainwater can be harvested and used for non-potable purposes such as for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, toilet flushing, and cooling. Where water demand for processes is extremely high, and there are water supply or extraction limitations, harvested water can be treated for further on-site use. For many though, retrofitting water harvesting solutions may not be economically viable, however, it should be considered for new sites or where water supply is limited.
Ensuring effective separation will prevent stormwater from diluting the wastewater, which can lead to performance issues and disruption if the capacity of the plant is breached. For many sites, separated stormwater can be safely diverted to a local watercourse (with necessary interceptors where required), drainage system, or on-site soak away via interceptor. SuDS and Water Harvesting are also key methods to prevent excess stormwater from entering the wastewater treatment plant.
Reducing reliance on mains water not only improves the sustainability of plant operations, it will also deliver cost savings in trade effluent costs and water bills.
The Waste And Resources Action Programme (WRAP) identified some of the most impactful water-saving measures, which centre reuse of water as well as making optimisations and efficiency improvements:
Water can be treated safely to be used in high-water products such as soft drinks, spirits and beer albeit there is still some way to go to encourage higher levels of customer confidence. Food for thought perhaps.
There are several advanced technologies available to recycle water for the above-mentioned uses. The technology adopted would be dependent on the site, process and requirements.
Whilst water recycling is clearly one of the most effective water-saving measures. Efficiency improvement and continuous optimisation are important parts of the water (and cost) saving toolkit.
Our Optimisation Opportunity Checklist is a useful tool that you can download to conduct a high-level review of your treatment plant to identify key opportunities for efficiency improvement.
It’s no secret that investing in solutions and technology to recycle water and manage excess stormwater comes at a cost. However, in the case of water recycling in particular, the investment can deliver a significant return on investment by reducing mains water supply costs, and discharge costs.
Engaging an experienced water solutions provider, such as Alpheus, will help you identify the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions to respond to existing challenges, and prepare for the future.
For example, we are just starting a project for a large fresh meals supplier to implement a solution to recycle part of 300m³ of final effluent per day for reuse on-site, rather than discharging to the sewer for which they are incurring discharge costs. The solution involves installing a tank and pump system to divert treated water for screen washing. The estimated payback for this solution is just over 12 months – after which they will continue to save on the water supply and discharge costs.
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