Wastewater treatment systems that recognize the value of water

Over the past 15 years, Pronaca (Procesadora Nacional de Alimentos C.A.) has trusted Marel to design and install Marel Water Treatment systems in five facilities, with a sixth due to start operation in early 2023. When constructing their further processing facility, Pifo, Esteban Flores, Pronaca's project execution manager, was confident Marel could supply a system that would meet Ecuador's effluent discharge regulations and address the specific parameters of the Pifo site. "The versatility of Marel's technology has allowed us to solve a wide range of requirements, from wastewater treatment from single-product slaughter plants with CODs above 5000mg/l, to sauce processing plants with hundreds of SKUs and highly variable P.H.s of raw water."

Water is an increasingly valuable resource, with food processors facing a growing need for reliable, safe water treatment and recycling that meets local effluent discharge laws and sustainability and environmental targets while optimizing energy usage. When selecting the water treatment system for Pifo, Flores conducted an exhaustive technical and economic analysis to ensure Pronaca invested in a system that would meet all these requirements. "Marel Water Treatment stands out from its competitors. As a strategic partner, they met the required quality and efficiency Pronaca was looking for."  

Systems to suit every need

Every processing facility is unique and Marel designs wastewater treatment systems to reflect each customer’s specific requirements. The Pifo facility needed to meet Ecuador's effluent discharge standards, be easy to operate, provide optimal operation costs, and be compact enough to fit within the facility's space constraints. "Each stage of the system, from pre-treatment to the sludge conditioning phase, was integrally designed by Marel. They guaranteed complete support during all stages of the project, including detailed engineering, assembly and start-up," says Flores. "Marel Water Treatment has also met the demands of today's plants with after-sales service, availability for remote support, follow-up and operator training."  

The waste treatment system for the Pifo facility has three main stages:  

1. Pre-treatment by the Dissolved Air Flotation unit efficiently pushes fat and other non dissolved substances to the surface for removal
2. Biological treatment removes carbon and nitrogen pollution
3. The BioFlot system separates sludge and water. The BioFlot system was integral for meeting the space constraints of Pifo while still meeting effluent discharge limits. Using a flotation process rather than the settling process of Marel’s BioClar system allows the BioFlot to have a higher sludge concentration and, thereby, a smaller reactor.

The cleaned water passes through a final disinfection stage before being safely released into the environment.  

Flores is happy with how Pifo’s wastewater system is operating, "Marel's treatment system is reliable and guarantees compliance with the highest local and international standards. The brand's solutions add value to our operations with efficient and versatile technology."