In no other country turkey processing is as important as in the USA. Especially at Thanksgiving, the bird is a popular main dish. No wonder, then, that the United States is home to the most turkeys. Brazil, Germany and France follow at a great distance. After chickens, turkeys provide the second most popular meat in the world, especially thanks to their good nutritional values. Nevertheless, turkey processing produces wastewater that must not flow into the environment without treatment.
Turkey processing wastewater treatment
Turkey meat impresses above all with its variety of flavours
From America, the turkey conquered the whole world. Christopher Columbus brought it to Europe at the beginning of the 16th century during one of his crossings, where it spread rapidly. The turkey is the only poultry that offers two different types of meat: the mild meat from the turkey breast and a strong, red meat from the legs.
These two types of meat differ in taste on the one hand, and in composition on the other. The breast meat is particularly lean and contains more protein. The meat from the leg has a stronger taste and a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. This part also contains twice as much iron, zinc and vitamins B1 and B2 as turkey meat from the breast. In addition, 100 grams of meat contain 22 grams of protein, which is why athletes like turkey meat.
Worldwide, the organic husbandry of turkeys is gaining more and more importance. The birds grow up to one metre tall and weigh 20 kilograms. After about 16 weeks, the female turkeys are fully grown; it takes about four weeks longer for the males. Many private breeders therefore prefer several slaughters per year to keep the turkey population as constant as possible.
Wastewater treatment is a crucial step in turkey processing
The turkey processing produces wastewater that must not flow into the environment without treatment. As hygiene is particularly important during turkey processing, blood, urine, fat and oil are mixed into the wastewater. This results in an increased chemical and biological oxygen demand. The ClearFox® team offers three treatment processes that almost completely clean the wastewater from the turkey processing:
The ClearFox® DAF is a dissolved air flotation system that is particularly suitable for use in the food and beverage industry. Flocculants bind the suspended solids – fine air bubbles carry them upwards and outwards via a cone opening. The ClearFox® FBBR and SBR are two biological treatment processes that treat the dissolved solids in the wastewater. The fixed bed consists of net tubes that provide a large growth area for the microorganisms in the wastewater. They convert the dissolved solids into secondary sludge, which separates from the clear water. In the Sequential Batch Reactor, an aeration system supplies oxygen to the microorganisms at set intervals, which then treat the dissolved solids in the wastewater.
The ClearFox® wastewater treatment plants are particularly suitable for wastewater treatment in turkey processing, as they can be easily combined to achieve an optimal cleaning result. For industrial wastewater treatment, the plant systems are installed in ISO sea containers. This makes them modular and mobile. They can be expanded and moved to another location if necessary. All ClearFox® wastewater treatment plants have low investment and operating costs. The ClearFox® team manufactures them entirely in the main factory in Bayreuth, so that the time required for installation and commissioning on site is kept to a minimum.
