Project

The plant was required to treat 30m³/day of effluent from potato washing. Both home produced and imported potatoes were being processed at the site in Cambridge and it was necessary to segregate the washings to avoid the possibility of imported bacteria or viruses in soil washed from imported potatoes being released.

Responsibilities

Process design and equipment specification.

The plant consists of a collecting sump and separate primary settling tanks for soil bearing wash water from the home produced and imported potatoes. After settlement wash water from the home produced potatoes is treated biologically. Settled washwater from imported potatoes is treated in the rinse recovery section.

Spray rinse water from both home produced and imported potatoes is collected and treated in the rinse recovery section which comprises crossflow microfiltration followed by ultraviolet disinfection. This combination is effective in removing bacteria and viruses from the recovered water and renders it suitable for re-use.

The concentrate from the crossflow microfiltration unit is treated with settled sludge in the biological treatment plant.