Tyson Foods pursues poultry wastewater recycling

Managers at Tyson Foods River Valley Animal Foods are exploring the option of using recycled water from the wastewater facility in the scrubbers at the rendering facility. If this use proves feasible, it would allow the facility to reuse another 75,000 to 100,000 gallons of water per day -- a savings of 20 million to 26 million gallons of city water per year.

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Tyson's Scranton facility renders the dissolved air flotation sludge generated at the wastewater system. The oils and solids are fed back into the rendering system and any water produced is sent back to the wastewater facility for treatment.
Tyson's Scranton facility renders the dissolved air flotation sludge generated at the wastewater system. The oils and solids are fed back into the rendering system and any water produced is sent back to the wastewater facility for treatment.

River Valley Animal Foods, Scranton, Arkansas, renders 2,000 tons per day of poultry protein byproducts and, in the process, produces 790,000 gallons of poultry wastewater daily.

“The Tyson Foods Scranton facility is the ultimate example of Tyson Foods' commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Dana Pierce, area environmental manager. “With this facility, all of the offal, feathers and blood from processing plants are converted into usable ingredients for feed and oils for other ingredients.”

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Dana Pierce, area environmental manager at Tyson Foods Scranton

Other environmental initiatives at the Scranton facility include water conservation and reuse programs. On a daily basis, approximately 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater are reused at the rendering facility for wash down in the plant and washing of the paved areas around the facility.

“This equates to over 73 million gallons of treated wastewater that is reused on a yearly basis and saves that much city water from being used,” Pierce said.

Managers at Scranton are exploring the option of using recycled water from the wastewater facility in the scrubbers at the rendering facility. If this use proves feasible, it would allow the facility to reuse another 75,000 to 100,000 gallons of water per day. This would equate to a savings of 20 million to 26 million gallons of city water per year.

Beginning in 2015, out-of-specification raw materials at the Scranton facility are sent to a compost recycler. With this change, approximately 1 million pounds of such material no longer enters the landfill, as in the past, but instead ends up as a usable compost material.

The Scranton facility also renders the dissolved air flotation (DAF) sludge generated at the wastewater system. The oils and solids are fed back into the rendering system and any water produced is sent back to the wastewater facility for treatment.

Cardboard pallets and shredded paper are also recycled at the Scranton facility. The shredded paper from all of the offices is collected and sent to a recycling facility. The pallets are either sent back to the vendor or sent to a company for refurbishing for future use.

Tyson Foods is not only committed to environmental stewardship at the Scranton facility; it is also involved with the community in protecting to environment.

Funded by a $26,132 grant from Tyson Foods, Arkansas Tech faculty and students planted a variety of emergent and submerged native plants in a manmade wetland adjacent to the Scranton facility. The wetland cell is designed to slow the initial flow of stormwater from the premises so that sediments can settle out slowly and not go further downstream.

The Clean Water Awards are sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

 

 

Learn more about wastewater treatment at Tyson Foods Scranton:

Tyson Foods plants wetlands for stormwater, http://video.wattagnet.com/2bdF.

 

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