Modern wastewater treatment for Addoha Poultry

Over time, Addoha Poultry has shifted its focus towards expanding its operations with sustainability at the forefront. Key elements of this new policy include a large-scale wastewater treatment system, to be installed by JBT Marel.

Pre-treatment 

Both existing and new water treatment systems consist of the same pre-purification phase, including a fine screen and a flotation unit. The fine screen filter removes larger particles and solids that could block or damage downstream processes. In the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit, suspended solids that are hydrophobic (repelled by water, such as fat, oil, greases) attach to the rising bubbles and float up to the tank’s surface. This forms a layer of sludge, which is then continuously removed by an automatic scraper mechanism.

Biological process

Next is the biological water purification process, which decomposes dissolved organic matter round the clock. In the aeration and denitrification tank, air (oxygen) is introduced by an aeration system into a mixture of wastewater and organisms, which develop a biological floc. This floc reduces the organic content, as the bacteria will decompose all pollutants into harmless products.

The BioFlot system, again using a DAF flotation solution, then takes care of separating the biological sludge by forcing it to the surface and scraping it off. The advantages compared to a clarifier tank is that it is more robust, compact and better suited to an industrial environment. It also means less civil works.

Sand filtration and UV light

Both of Addoha Poultry’s water treatment systems are followed by sand filters and a UV lamp. The water is now already 95- 97% clean. The last suspended solids as well as floating and sinking particles, which could possibly block the irrigation nozzles, are effectively removed by sand filtration. In three large silos, the water passes vertically through a fine bed of sand, where particles are captured through absorption or physical encapsulation. The ultraviolet light of the UV lamp acts as a disinfectant, breaking down and inactivating water-borne pathogens leaving them unable to reproduce.

Decantation

Up until this stage, both of Addoha’s systems are identical except that the new system has more elaborate units with sometimes even double the capacity.

As the final stage of the new wastewater treatment system, Addoha Poultry has added decanter centrifuges to further reduce the volume of the sludge produced, which is still rather wet. The decantation centrifuge uses the buoyancy principle for continuously separating solid materials from liquids in the slurry. By using G-force, the settling of the mixture can be done in seconds instead of hours.

5,4 million liters of water

The water treatment system is housed in a beautifully designed, spacious building. Once Addoha Poultry’s new water treatment system is fully operational, the existing system will be transferred to this new building, too.

With both water treatment systems in action, a total capacity of 5.4 million liters per day can be treated and upgraded to high-quality irrigation water. Easing irrigation is vital in Saudi Arabia, a country rich in deserts and poor in water, and highlights another contribution of Addoha Poultry to the sustainability goals. In the fields next to the factory, this irrigation water sustains a flourishing date palm orchard, transforming the desert landscape into a green oasis.