Anaerobic Treatment of High-Strength Wastewater with Associated Energy Recovery

A dairy facility in upstate New York that produces yogurt and cottage cheese installed a high-rate anaerobic pretreatment system to manage their wastes. The system has successfully eliminated off-site disposal of the cheese whey and yogurt "white mass" or slurry, resulting in significant annual cost savings while eliminating the liability associated with off-site disposal. The anaerobic system produces between 150,000 and 200,000 scfd of biogas, which is delivered to a boiler to produce steam used in the facility, reducing the use of No. 6 fuel oil by 25 to 30%. In addition, a reduction in load to the aerobic polishing system has been realized, eliminating operational issues with that system and providing treatment capacity to meet future production needs.