• The Water Technologies division of the Siemens Group Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) is providing Mariani Packing with an integrated, turnkey wastewater treatment system for its Vacaville, CA, food-processing plant. The system will include many different technologies for reducing the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of high-strength wastewater, and for converting the bio-gas byproduct to useable energy. Siemens is working with GSE Construction on this design-build project, which will be commissioned in Fall 2006.
WARRENDALE, PA, March 28, 2006 -- Mariani Packing, a family-owned and operated business for four generations, markets a variety of premium dried fruits. As the largest independent dried fruit packer in the world, the company sells more than 125 million pounds of product annually. "Many food processors, wineries and dairies in Northern California and the Central Valley land apply their wastewater," says Andrew Delgado, sales engineer at Siemens Water Technologies. "However, due to increasing regulatory concerns over the build-up of nitrates and salinity in the groundwater, the use of well-proven treatment methods is becoming more common. The new wastewater system at Mariani Packing will reduce the BOD from 13,000 ppm to less than 30 ppm - a 99.8-percent reduction. After the BOD is reduced, salts can then be removed by membrane processes."
The system will include a high-rate anaerobic Biopaq IC reactor through Siemens' technology licensor, Paques. The reactor provides a greater amount of treatment in a smaller footprint than competing technologies. A field-erected wastewater treatment system from the Davco product line will use common wall construction for primary clarification, equalization, aeration, secondary clarification and sludge digestion. The methane-rich biogas from the anaerobic reactor will be recovered as "green" energy to run Mariani's boiler.
Adds Delgado, "The system is designed to allow the addition of microfiltration and reverse osmosis in the future to reduce the inorganic salts. This treatment step ensures that the wastewater meets the new electrical conductivity regulations expected in 2007."
"There were some challenges involved with this project," says Bob Miller, operations manager at Mariani Packing. "Due to the project's complexity, we needed to partner with an organization that could commission the system before our December 1, 2006 deadline to switch to the Easterly treatment plant, and guarantee that the treatment process would meet the new discharge limits. Siemens Water Technologies is able to meet all these challenges."
Siemens Water Technologies including the USFilter Group of Companies delivers cost-effective, reliable water and wastewater treatment systems and services to municipal, industrial, commercial and institutional customers worldwide. The division "Water Technologies" is part of Siemens' Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) which is a system and solution provider for industrial and infrastructure facilities and global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and the entire life cycle. In fiscal 2005 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 31,700 people worldwide and achieved total sales of EUR 5.390 billion [US$6.47 billion]. For more information, see www.usfilter.com or www.siemens.com/water
[US$1 = EUR 0.8325]
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Also see: "Water Assessments: In Search of Hidden Dividends -- Chemical Engineering & Water Treatment"
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