Year: 2019
Project Location: Cárnicas Medina Facility – Valencia, Spain
Objectives: Installation of a secondary clarification system to the existing biological treatment, forming a FBR process to comply with the discharge limits.
Installed Technologies: In-line coagulation-flocculation tubes SIGMA PFL-180; clarification via dissolved air flotation SIGMA DAF FPAC160/200.
Capacity: 37 GPM
Wastewater Characteristics for Process Design
| TSS | Oil & Fat |
|---|---|
| 4500 mg/L | 500 mg/L |
Clarification Efficiency
| TSS Removal | Oil & Fat Removal |
|---|---|
| 90% | 90% |
Cárnicas Medina is a leading company in the meat sector. Its facilities in Valencia have a wastewater treatment plant with biological treatment and require the installation of secondary clarification to form an FBR process.
The FBR process (flotation bio-reactor) consists of an existing biological reactor in the plant where the elimination of organic matter is carried out; in it, microbial flocs are generated by adsorption and agglomeration. These biomass flocs are separated by a combined coagulation-flocculation process followed by clarification.
Coagulation-flocculation is carried out in the SIGMA PFL-180 equipment in which a coagulant is injected to group the generated biomass, and a polymer flocculant agglomerates the biomass aggregates into larger flocs.
The clarification with dissolved air flotation (DAF) allows the separation of the flocs by means of micro-bubbles dissolved in the DAF FPAC160/200 clarifier.
DAF systems are introduced to separate oils, greases, fats, solids, and flocs that do not have enough buoyancy to float or when a mixture of emulsified fats, oils, and solids affects the specific gravity in such a way that the flotation air is necessary to improve the separation; they are also applied in FBR processes for the separation of biomass flocs. The size of the air bubbles is between 30 and 50 microns, which is key for the flotation system as the microbubbles easily adhere to particles of the same size or greater.
SIGMA DAF flotation clarification equipment is special equipment highly reliable and robust, as well as flexible, allowing it to be adapted to possible fluctuations in wastewater emissions and plant operation.
