The white stuff goes green – How ELGA Process Water is helping a dairy to reduce its water footprint

Phil Black - PII Editor 13/09/2011

115 1 minute read

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ELGA Process Water, a Veolia Water & Solutions company, is helping Robert Wiseman Dairies towards its target of reducing water use across its network of dairies by 25% by 2015. Robert Wiseman supplies 30% of all the milk consumed in the UK and its Bridgwater dairy can process one and a quarter million litres of the white stuff every day. Bridgwater, one of the UK’s most advanced dairies, produces about 400m3/day of process wastewater which is treated and then discharged to the local rhyne. Or it was. But not any more. Now 200m3/day of that process wastewater is recovered by reverse osmosis and recycled for use in the dairy.

ELGA Process Water’s MegaRO reverse osmosis technology uses a membrane to remove 99% of residual COD, dissolved salts and bacteria from the treated wastewater, producing water of quality at least equal to the mains supply. MegaRO’s low pressure membranes and high efficiency pumps make it one of the most energy efficient plants on the market, and low energy use means not only reduced carbon emissions but also low operating costs.

Although the main driver for the project was Robert Wiseman Dairies’ commitment to reducing its water footprint, there is a major economic spinoff. Project Manager Eleanor Walton explains: “Because the operating cost of the MegaRO is low, the recovered water actually costs less than mains water even after including capital amortisation. We expect to get a payback on the £130k investment in about 2 and half years.” Although the plant has only been in operation for 10 months, Eleanor has enough confidence to be talking to ELGA Process Water about a second plant to recover a further 80m3/day of the wastewater.

Visit www.elgaprocesswater.co.uk for more information on the MegaRO range, and other ELGA Process Water products and customer support services.

ELGA Process Water
Marlow International, Parkway, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1YL UK
Tel + 44 (0) 1628 897000
Email: sales.uk@veoliawater.com
Web: www.elgaprocesswater.co.uk