Governments are introducing ever more regulations on responsible industrial wastewater treatment. Ecuador is no exception. Pronaca, a food processing company in Ecuador, has its own sustainability drive and Marel water treatment is helping the company take care of its environment and maintain relationships with neighboring communities.
Over the past 15 years, Pronaca (Procesadora Nacional de Alimentos C.A.) has entrusted Marel with the design and installation of wastewater treatment systems for five of its production sites. A sixth is due to start operation soon. When building their further processing factory, Esteban Flores, Pronaca Project Execution Manager, expressed his confidence in Marel’s ability to provide a versatile system that would comply with Ecuador’s latest effluent discharge regulations and address the specific parameters of the Pifo site.
Thanks to their efficient and versatile technology, Marel’s wastewater solutions add real value to our operations.
Esteban Flores
Pronaca Project Execution Manager
Pronaca aims to maintain good relationships with surrounding communities and ensure its activities do not contribute to water pollution. By prioritizing the value of public water, the company strives to safeguard the health and well-being of both people and the ecosystem. When choosing the water treatment system for the Pifo site, Esteban Flores did extensive technical and economic research. “Marel Water Treatment stands out from its competitors. As a strategic partner, they fully meet the required quality standards and the level of high efficiency we were looking for.”
The Pifo facility needed to meet Ecuador’s effluent discharge standards, be easy to operate, economical to run and be compact enough to fit within the facility’s space constraints. “Marel Water Treatment guaranteed their complete support at all stages of the project to include detailed engineering, assembly and startup,” says Esteban Flores. “Marel also responded to our growing demand for after-sales service, available remote support, follow-up and operator training.”
The wastewater treatment system for Pronaca’s Pifo facility has three main phases. Firstly, pre-treatment by the Dissolved Air Flotation unit efficiently pushes fat and other non-dissolved substances to the surface for removal. Secondly, biological treatment uses bacteria to decompose dissolved substances such as carbon and nitrogen pollution. And finally, the BioFlot system separates sludge and water. Given the limited space of the Pifo site, Marel’s BioFlot system was the best option in this third phase to fit into the available area. This flotation process happens in a basin with surface aeration and brings the separated sludge to the surface to scrape it off. While a settling process would require a relatively big biological reactor basin and a circular clarifier, BioFlot needs a smaller biological reactor basin due to a higher activated sludge concentration. The cleaned water passes through a final disinfection stage before being safely released into the nearby river.
Esteban Flores is pleased with how Pifo’s wastewater system operates: “Marel’s treatment system is reliable and guarantees compliance with the highest local and international standards. Thanks to their efficient and versatile technology, their wastewater solutions add real value to our operations."
In 1974, Pronaca’s original brand Indaves was established to produce eggs. With the launch of Gustadina table oils in 1986, the diversification into other foods (poultry, pork, beef, fish, plant-based, pet food) began. This has grown into today’s huge number of brands under the Pronaca umbrella such as Mr. Pollo, Mr. Pavo, La Estancia, and Mr.Cook ready-to-heat frozen products.
Company website: Pronaca.com
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