ABSTRACT
Wastewater recovery is fundamentally a separation process
in which undesirable compounds (pollutants) are removed
from a valuable commodity (water), and/or in which pollu-
tants are concentrated or modified through physicochemical
or biological means to produce valuable commodities.
Several benefits may be realized by incorporating waste-
water recovery into a food processing operation, including
reduced freshwater consumption, reduced wastewater treat-
ment volumes, reduced chemical requirements, production
of useful byproduct streams, and reduced energy require-
ments.[1-5] Conversely, both capital and operating costs are
associated with wastewater recovery technologies, so that
the optimal degree of recovery, as well as the specific
recovery methods employed, will depend on the local
costs of labor, energy, raw materials, and waste disposal.
