Environment Innovations Behind Food - Advances in Organic Wastewater Treatment Technology 1999

Environment Innovations Behind Food - Advances in Organic Wastewater Treatment Technology 1999

In Japan in the 1990s, organic wastewater discharged from factories became a serious environmental problem due to the growth of the food industry. Wastewater from fermented food, beverage, and dairy factories contained high concentrations of BOD and COD, causing water pollution, odors, and red tides in rivers and coastal areas. The activated sludge method, which has been the mainstream method in the past, has achieved a certain level of success, but the large amount of sludge generated and high maintenance costs have placed a heavy economic burden on food companies. Therefore, a new energy-saving, low-pollution, high-efficiency technology was sought.

The membrane bioreactor (MBR) method, which has attracted much attention, uses a fine membrane to separate solid and liquid, ensuring stable water quality and enabling a circulation system in which treated water is reused within the plant. Anaerobic treatment (UASB reactor, etc.) was also revolutionary in that methane gas was generated in the process of decomposing organic matter and could be reused as energy. In addition, advanced oxidation treatment technologies such as ozone oxidation and the Fenton reaction, as well as energy-saving technologies such as reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to secure reused water and the rotating disk contact method began to be introduced.

These technologies could be combined according to the wastewater characteristics and costs of each plant to create an optimal system, contributing to waste reduction and resource recycling. In the background was the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which led to the development of environmental technologies and tighter regulations in Japan. These technological innovations went beyond mere regulatory compliance and became the foundation for the sustainability of the food industry, a major step toward the realization of a "recycling-oriented society" in 1999.