Waste Management in the Food Industry
The food industry utilizes processes and operations that easily generate wastes in copious amounts. These wastes occur in different forms and readily cause nuisance problems when not properly managed. Examples include peels, spent grains, suspended solids, effluents, vegetable trimmings and cuttings.
Using relatively simple to high technologies, food wastes can be converted into useful by-products which can either be reintegrated into food systems or used as raw materials for other industries. A considerable amount of these by-products may serve as feed or become a useful component of biomass after chemical or biological treatments.
Waste management problems may vary from facility to facility but all such problems are governed by the same factors. In addition, a clear understanding of the operations of a given food plant is necessary for determining which waste treatment method is best for that plant. This article highlights the different methods used in the treatment and disposal of food wastes. Also, based on existing plant operations, methods for handling specific wastes have been recommended.
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