Wastewater treatment and water reuse in the food industry

Abstract The food industry contributes significantly to the economic growth of many nations. However, this sector is associated with various environmental problems including high water consumption (basic foodstuff ingredient, cleaning, sanitation, heating, refrigeration, etc.) and the production of large volumes of wastewaters. This chapter provides an overview of the types and characteristics of wastewaters that originate from different agri-food industrial activities such as olive oil and table olive production, dairies and wineries, summarizes the technologies referred to in the literature for the treatment of such wastewaters, and presents different case studies on the treatment of dairy, table olive and olive mill wastewaters with emphasis on biological methods, electrochemical processes and constructed wetlands. Finally, the quality of posttreatment wastewaters is demonstrated and their potential for reuse is discussed.