Comprehensive review of water management and wastewater treatment in food processing industries in the framework of water‐food‐environment nexus

Abstract

Food processing is among the greatest water-consuming industries with a significant role in the implementation of sustainable development goals. Waterconsuming industries such as food processing have become a threat to limited freshwater resources, and numerous attempts are being carried out in order to develop and apply novel approaches for water management in these industries. Studies have shown the positive impact of the new methods of process integration (e.g., water pinch, mathematical optimization, etc.) in maximizing water reuse and recycle. Applying these methods in food processing industries not only significantly supported water consumption minimization but also contributed to environmental protection by reducing wastewater generation. The methods can also increase the productivity of these industries and direct them to sustainable production. This interconnection led to a new subcategory in nexus studies known as water-food-environment nexus. The nexus assures sustainable food production with minimum freshwater consumption and minimizes the environmental destructions caused by untreated wastewater discharge. The aim of this study was to provide a thorough review of water-food-environment nexus application in food processing industries and explore the nexus from different aspects.The current study explored the process of food industries in different sectors regarding water consumption and wastewater generation, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The most recent wastewater treatment methods carried out in different food processing sectors were also reviewed. This review provided a comprehensive literature for choosing the optimum scenario of water and wastewater management in food processing industries. K E Y W O R D Scircular economy, food processing, nexus, wastewater treatment, water management INTRODUCTIONIncreased global demand for freshwater due to population growth has put the water resources under stress for the recent decades. Water scarcity is predicted to get more intensive in the forthcoming years (Piesse, 2020). Statistical data demonstrated that annual water consumption in three main different sectors of agriculture, industries, and

Primary Sludge from Dairy and Meat Processing Wastewater and Waste from Biomass Enzymatic Hydrolysis as Resources in Anaerobic Digestion and Co-Digestion Supplemented with Biodegradable Surfactants as Process Enhancers

“…Meat processing wastewater (MPWW) and dairy wastewater (DWW) mainly contains biogenic pollution in high concentrations, which increases their chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solid (TSS) parameters (Table 1) [12]. To remove the dissolved pollution from the wastewater, prior to the activated sludge process, numerous pre-treatment technologies have been proposed.…”

“…Indicative MPWW and DWW chemical parameters comparison before treatment. Adopted from Asgharnejad et al[12].…”

Salinização secundária no semiárido e seus impactos no solo, na agricultura e cultivo das plantas – uma revisão

“…Segundo Asgharnejad et al (2021), a água residual tratada vem sendo usada na produção agrícola com muito êxito, trazendo impactos importantes para os produtores e o meio ambiente. As águas residuais, segundo o autor, podem ser consideradas uma fonte confiável de água e nutrientes que estão disponíveis o ano todo, possibilitando um maior rendimento por safra e um maior número de ciclos de cultivo por período.…”

Sustainable Treatment of Food Industry Wastewater Using Membrane Technology: A Short Review

“…There are numerous methods which have been applied to treat food industry wastewater such as physical-chemical systems (coagulation, filtration, evaporation, centrifugation and gravity concentration) [15], adsorption [16], Fenton oxidation [17,18], ozone [19], microalgae cultivation [20], constructed wetlands [21], UV disinfection [22], plasma [23], microbial fuel cells (MFCs) [24], etc. However, their high operation cost and the generation of secondary pollutants have limited their applications [25][26][27].…”