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Phosphorus:
Reducing Releases from Meat Packing Operations
Minnesota’s
waters must be clean and healthy in order to sustain
aquatic life and provide recreational use. Although
phosphorus is a nutrient for plant growth, excess phosphorus
can speed up the aging process of lakes and streams
by stimulating algae growth. This creates high biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) as algae decomposes and uses up
available oxygen supplies, sometimes threatening the
survival of fish and other aquatic organisms.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA) is working to establish effluent phosphorus limits
and phosphorus monitoring requirements for municipal
wastewater treatment facilities. These facilities are
asking their industrial users to reduce phosphorus in
discharges to the treatment plant.
Meat packing operations can be significant
sources of phosphorus released to wastewater treatment
plants. Cleaning and rinsing of equipment, product lost
to the drain and floor, and cleaning chemicals are all
ways phosphorus enters the wastewater.
Reducing BOD, TSS, Phosphorus
and Water Use
Meat packing operations can be
significant sources of wastewater that is high in BOD,
total suspended solids (TSS) and phosphorus. A number
of steps can be taken to reduce meat packing facility
waste, including:
- Recover products and by-products
- Upgrade production equipment
- Improve maintenance
- Use dry cleanup
- Use high-pressure, low volume cleaning
systems
- Use low- or non-phosphorus cleaning
and sanitizing chemicals
- Monitor water use
- Manage water as a raw material
Recovering
Products and By-products
Recovering excess material prior to cleanup can minimize product loss and make your process more efficient. Blood, trimmings and paunch contents naturally contain phosphorus. Recover these by-products and stop them from entering the sewer to cut the amount of phosphorus in your wastewater. Collect as much blood as possible at the slaughter site rather than allowing the blood to enter the packing line. Use troughs and curbs where necessary to direct the flow of blood that makes it to the packing line. Dry cleaning the paunch and using a screw conveyor or an air-energized system to transfer paunch contents also will reduce the chance of these materials entering your facility’s wastewater.
Upgrade old production equipment to
help prevent spills and to make your process more efficient
and reduce the chance of releasing phosphorus to the
sewer. A preventive maintenance program also can help
prevent spills at your facility.
Cleaning
Janitorial operations and process cleaning or sanitizing
can be significant sources of phosphorus going to wastewater
treatment plants.
Before using wet cleaning methods, dry clean as much as possible to recover excess product and by-products. For example, before washing the production floor with water, use a squeegee and a dust pan to cleanup any product or by-product that ends up on the floor. If products recovered with dry cleanup methods are not suitable to return to your production process, they may be used as animal feed or sent to rendering. For more information about feeding food by-products to livestock see MnTAP’s fact sheet, Feeding Food Processing By-products to Livestock [#67]. For information on rendering services contact a rendering company that serves your area.
A clean-in-place (CIP) system eliminates
the need to dismantle equipment for cleaning and can
help you carefully control water and chemical use at
your facility. Many production facilities manually run
CIP systems, but fully automated CIPs are more consistent
than manual operations and are typically more effective.
Using final CIP rinses as the pre-rinse for the next
cleaning cycle can further cut the amount of wastewater
generated.
For wet cleanup, high-pressure, low
volume cleaning systems can help cut the amount of wastewater
at your facility. Using higher pressure cleaning systems,
employees are more likely to use less water during cleanup
to achieve specified cleanliness.
Compared to traditional phosphorus
cleaners, low and non-phosphorus cleaning and sanitizing
chemicals are as effective and are comparable in cost.
Ask your chemical supplier for more information about
changing chemicals.
For more information about cutting
phosphorus from your cleaning operation see MnTAP’s
fact sheet, Phosphorus:
Reducing Releases from Industrial Cleaning and Sanitizing
Operations [#11].
Water Use
Before you can cut water use you need to understand
how and where it is being used at your facility. Water
meters can help measure water use throughout your facility.
This tool measures water and wastewater volumes and
can help you plan pollution prevention tactics. Some
meters on the market use circular chart recorders to
measure water use in gallons per minute over a 24-hour
period. Fluctuations may indicate leaks, wasteful water
use or inefficient equipment. Installing meters in high
water use areas will help you identify procedures where
excess water use can be cut. Remember, water is a raw
material with a real cost to your company.
For More Information
For more information about reducing waste at meat packing plants see the 65-page report Reduction in Waste Load from a Meat Processing Plant-Beef.
MnTAP has a variety of technical assistance services available to help Minnesota businesses implement industry-tailored solutions that maximize resource efficiency, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and reduce costs.Our information
resources are available online. Or, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300
or 800.247.0015 from greater Minnesota
for personal assistance.
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