Reuse of Treated Effluents in a Food-Processing Industry

In view of the constant population growth, the unrestrained economic development and the consequent demand for water resources in different sectors (e.g., industrial, agricultural and domestic), the water stress index became alarming in several countries, and the scarcity of water is an increasingly frequent and worrying phenomenon. International policies to mitigate water consumption, as well as the reuse of water resources, emerged with the aim of reducing imminent risks for the coming decades. The sectors of agriculture and industry are those with the highest consumption of fresh water, and it is expected that the annual global use of water in industry will increase. The circular economy emerges as a very useful tool in the reuse of treated wastewater in the industrial sector, contributing to the sustainability of water resources. The present work deals with a case study in a food-processing industry, where the implementation of a wastewater treatment process is explored in a concept of circular economy. New stages in the treatment process are proposed, which allow to reuse treated wastewaters.