BRF’s plant in the United Arab Emirates, the first in Abu Dhabi to produce animal protein food products on a large scale, will reuse 100% of the treated water from its production operations.
The water will be used in the plant’s refrigeration system and to water its gardens. As a result, the company will save 72,000 cubic meters of water per year, as well as the equivalent of US$130,000. The project was developed in partnership with Water Engineering Technologies (WET).
The water will be purified through reverse osmosis, which is widely used in the Middle East given the water desalination projects adopted by countries in the region. Through the technology, all solid components are removed from the water, will then can be reused in the plant’s refrigeration or to irrigate gardens. The same solutions already have been implemented at BRF’s plants in Turkey, which generated annual savings of US$70,000 and 50,000 cubic meters of water.
“In addition to the financial benefits, adopting the new technology has environmental gains, since we improve the use of water in a country built in the middle of the desert,” explained Giovani Pelliza, industrial manager of BRF’s Abu Dhabi plant. “The innovation, quality and safety of our processes are essential for the success of our business. Seeking market alternatives that help improve our operations is a daily exercise.”
With little more than five years of operations, BRF’s Abu Dhabi plant is one of the company’s most modern units and employs more than 530 people. It produces beef patties, hot dogs, marinated chicken breast, breaded chicken and special chicken cuts. Products are sold under the brands Sadia, Hilal and Perdix using raw materials from Brazil. In addition to meeting demand from the United Arab Emirates, the unit also serves other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.
More sustainable energy system
At the start of the year, BRF’s plant in Abu Dhabi also implemented a new energy system. In addition to financial benefits, which will lead to annual savings of around US$340,000, the initiative will bring considerable environmental gains for the unit, since it will reduce annual CO2 emissions by roughly 1,800 tons.
