42 / 2023-12-25 08:30:07

Evaluating Proposal for Managing Fruit Slurry Waste in Nestlé Venezuela Company

waste management,fruit slurry,food manufacturing company

The main objective of this work was to evaluate sustainability of using the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), for the final disposal of waste from the denaturation of fruit slurry carried out in Nestlé Venezuela Company. The experimental research focused on controlling the phenomenon to be studied on the transformation of pulp waste from fruit slurries using as an alternative the disposal and treatment in the WWTP. Phase 1 consisted of a redesign for WWTP. Various processes associated with the influent to the WWTP were redesigned, linked to the production process of the fruit slurries. In the phase 2, the information collection was implemented. Experiment for managing waste from fruit slurries was established taking into account, the sustainability of the application in the WWTP. The requirements and functional characteristics of the WWTP were determined based on the information of the department of industrial services and the microbiology laboratory of the company's quality department. From these supports, the original characteristics of the WWTP design were found before using the alternative without causing adverse effects to the treatment of the effluents or altering the process control parameters and their output of the WWTP. For data collection, the characterizations of the physicochemical parameters in the influents and effluents to the WWTP were available and  executed during the experiment, in terms of critical control parameters such as pH (hydrogen potential), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand). After a testing period, a results analysis was carried out  In it, the before and after of the implementation of the proposal in comparison with the WWTP functional characteristics allowed the management of the alternative without presenting major changes to its operations. Organic loads were maintained, despite the addition of fruit slurry waste due to the fact that the treatment system was carried out under the batch model. The process was not continuous. Equalization tanks performed the function of balancing the organic loads. These balanced organic loads in the effluent to the equalization tanks were supplied to the subsequent treatment stages without altering the organic loads that the biological treatment constituted by a biofilter unit could tolerate. Removal system of organic loads maintained the values for the final discharge of the effluent to sewage network. The treatment of fruit slurry waste reduced waste destined for landfills from 45.5% to 14.6%. Since this result, Nestlé Venezuela Company was closer to its goal of total waste elimination.