WASTE CHARACTERISTICS

OF DAIRY INDUSTRY AND

ITS TREATMENT
BY PRASUN SEAL
ROLL 14/EST/420

WASTEWATER GENERATION

The dairy industry is one of the most

polluting of industries, not only in terms of
the volume of effluent generated, but also in
terms of its characteristics as well.
A chain of operations involving receiving
and storing of raw materials, processing of
raw materials into finished products,
packaging and storing of finished products,
and a group of other ancillary operations
(e.g., heat transfer and cleaning) will
produce wastewater.

In the dairy industry, some amount of wastewater

gets produced during starting, equilibrating,
stopping, and rinsing of the processing units.
However, a majority of wastewater gets produced
during cleaning operations, especially between
product changes when different types of products
are produced in a specific production unit and
clean-up operations. Dairy processing effluents
are generated in an intermittent way and the flow
rates of these effluents change significantly. The
quality and quantity of the product content in the
dairy wastewater at a given time changes with the
application of another technological cycle in the
processing line.

SOURCES OF WASTEWATER
DAIRY PROCESS

SOURCES OF WASTE

Preparation stages
1) Milk receiving/storage.

2)

Pasteurization/Ultra heat
treatment

Poor drainage of tankers

Spills and leaks from pipes
Foaming
Spils from storage tanks
Cleaning operations
Liquid losses
Foaming
Recovery of downgraded
product
Cleaning operations
Deposits on surface of
heating equipment.

3) Homogenisation

4) Separation/Clarification

Product Processing
Stage
5) Market milk

Liquid losses/leaks
Cleaning operations
Foaming
Pipe leaks
Product washing
Sludge removal from
clarifier
Damaged milk packages
Overfilling
Poor drainage
Cleaning of filling
machinery
Leaks
Cleaning operations

6) Cheese Making

7)

Butter Making

8) Milk powder manufacture

Overfilling vats
Incomplete separation of
whey from curd
Using salt in cheese
making
Product washing
Vacreation( reduced
pressure pasteurization
using stream) and salt use.
Spills of powder handling
Start up and shut down
losses
Plant malfunction
Stack losses
Cleaning of evaporators
and driers
Bagging losses

EFFLUENT GENERATION FROM VARIOUS UNITS

OF MILK OPERATION
DS
WW
DS WW

RECEIVING

EF

STORAGE TANK

EF

DSWW

CLARIFICATION/STANDARDIZATION

EF

DS WW,CW,ST

PASTEURIZATION

EF

HOMOGENISATION

EF

DS WW
ST, DS WW

DEODORISATION

EF

DS WW

STORAGE TANK

EF

DS WW

PACKING

EF

DS WW

STORAGE

EF

TRANSPORTATION

EF

DS-Detergents and Sanitizing Agents, WW-Wash Water, ST-Steam, CW-Cooling Water.

CHARACTERISTICS OF WASTE WATER

Dairy

wastewater contains milk solids, detergents,

sanitizers, milk wastes, and cleaning water.

It

is characterized by high concentrations of nutrients,

and organic and inorganic contents.

Salting

activities during cheese production may result in

high salinity levels.

Wastewater

may also contain acids, alkali with a number

of active ingredients, and disinfectants, as well as a

significant microbiological load, pathogenic viruses, and
bacteria.
Other

wastewater streams include cooling water from

BIS GUIDELINES OF PARAMETERS

Parameters

UNITS

GUIDELINE VALUE

4-12

Suspended solids

mg/l

24-5700

BOD5

mg/l

450-4,790

COD

mg/l

80 - 95000

Total nitrogen

mg/l

15-180

Total phosphorus

mg/l

Oil and grease

mg/l

11-160
10

Mpn/100ml

400

Magnesium

mg/l

25-49

Potassium

mg/l

11-160

Chloride

mg/l

48-469

Calcium

mg/l

57-112

pH

Total coliform bacteria

BOD : COD RATIO

BOD:COD

BOD:COD Ratio of Milk Constituents

1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Fat

Whey
Protein

Casein

Lactose

Whey

Butter
Milk

Skim
Milk

Whole
Milk

Constituents

TREATMENT METHODS
Primary:

Secondary:

i. Physical
Treatment
ii. Chemical
Treatment

i. Biological
Treatment
ii. Chemical
Treatment
iii. Membrane
Method
iv. Electrolytic
Method

Primary Treatment

Secondary Treatment

Aerobic Process of
Treatment

ANAEROBIC PROCESS OF
TREATMENT

Conventional Anaerobic Digester

Anaerobic Contact Digester
Anaerobic Fixed Film Reactor
Up flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket
Two Phase / Hybrid Reactor
Combined - Anaerobic & Aerobic
Process

Chemical Treatment

It can reduce COD by 78% and BOD by 84%.

Membrane Method:

It can reclaim Valuable milk solids or

chemicals for resale, reuse or less expensive
method.

Electrolytic Method
Miscellaneous and Modified Method

TERTIARY
TREATMENT(Optional)

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
Aerobic

Anaerobic

Applicability

low strength:

low, medium and high strength:

(BOD, mg/l)

(100 - 2000 mg/l)

(250 - > 100.000 mg/l)

BOD-removal:

93-99%

90%

NH3-conversion:

95%

low

NO3-removal:

90%*

high

Advantage

Disadvantage

Anaer
obic

* possible production of energy

* low need for land
* power failure or shutdown will not
affect the system
* no energy consumption
* low production of excess sludge

* optimal process temperature is about 30C

* post-treatment for BOD-removal is often
required

Aerob
ic

* low process temperature

* end treatment of waste-water

* energy need for aeration

* high need for land
* power failure or shutdown will affect the
entire system
* post-treatment for further nutrient removal is
often required
* high production of excess sludge