Improvements to a Water Treatment Plant in a Dairy Company in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Abstract

A dairy company has made a 40-milliondollar investment these past years in a new production line to offer new products. One of the problems that needs to be solved is what to do with the new amount of processed water that goes to the water treatment plant. A solution that includes installation of equipment for the facility is necessary to comply with local and federal agency guidelines and to increase efficiency so that the plant can treat more than 120,000 gpd of wastewater and lower cost in haulage. After taking into consideration all the possibilities to improve the water treatment plant and after the design analysis, a sequencing batch reactor tank and a dissolved air flotation unit are the best options to respond to the problem, which will result in a net savings of $103,000. Key Terms ⎯ dissolved air flotation, overhauling, sequencing batch reactor, water treatment plant