Case study on the dairy processing industries and their wastewater generation in Latvia

Abstract

The objective of the research presented in this Research Communication was to access the environmental impact of the Latvian dairy industries. Site visits and interviews at Latvian dairy processing companies were done in order to collect site-specific data. This includes the turnover of the dairy industries, production, quality of water in various industrial processes, the flow and capacity of the sewage including their characteristic, existing practices and measures for wastewater management. The results showed that dairy industries in Latvia generated in total approximately 2263 × 103 m3 wastewater in the year 2019. The Latvian dairy effluents were characterized with high chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total solids (TS). Few dairy plants had pre-treatment facilities for removal of contaminants, and many lacked onsite treatment technologies. Most facilities discharged dairy wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants. The current study gives insight into the Latvian dairy industries, their effluent management and pollution at Gulf of Riga due to wastewater discharge.

Prediction of Biodegradability Possibility for Sewage of the Dairy Industry

“…Inorganic materials were given less importance as a source of pollutants than organic materials because manufactured products are edible products that do not contain relatively hazardous substances. These inorganic substances include phosphates, used as a drying agent or used as an emulsifier in cleaning materials; Chlorine, used for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization in disinfectants and wetting agents [7].…”