Koch Foods is one of the largest chicken producers in America, and operates a large number of processing facilities. Their Montgomery, AL plant had a problem – its wastewater was discharged to the city and the surcharges were becoming painful.
Background
Koch Foods is one of the largest chicken producers in America, and operates a large number of processing facilities. Their Montgomery, AL plant had a problem – its wastewater was discharged to the city and the surcharges were becoming painful. So, they engaged Clearwater Consultants, of Starkville, MS to design a pretreatment system to reduce both the BOD and ammonia discharged to the city. The dual aims were to minimize future charges and to demonstrate Koch Foods’ commitment to the environment.
Bioworks’ Assistance
Clearwater designed an anaerobic-aerobic system, incorporating a very large aerobic lagoon followed by a similar aerobic lagoon To provide oxygen in that second lagoon they envisioned the use of floating high efficiency fine bubble diffusers and evaluated at least three possible suppliers. Bioworks worked with the Engineer to optimize the system’s performance, and was selected as the aeration system supplier based upon factors that included performance, efficiency, equipment quality & expected life, ease of maintenance, and price.
The Result
The new wastewater treatment plant went into operation in early 2012 and has exceeded expectations. The core of the system is the Bioworks OXIWORKS ® high efficiency aeration system, equipped with OXIRISE ® to make maintenance as easy as possible. The plant effluent is well within design objectives for both BOD and ammonia, making Koch Foods’ investment a financial and environmental success.