Zero liquid discharge water rEUSe, with added-value co-products recovery in the beverage industry.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Food and Beverage Industry (F&BI) is the largest manufacturing industry in the EU, with 4.5 million jobs and a turnover of €1 000 billion. It is also a highly fragmented sector with over 287 000 companies, of which 95% are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The F&BI processing industry requires a huge amount of water, amounting to 1.8% of total European Union (EU) water consumption. In the global context of water scarcity related to climate change, the recycling of water in the F&BI is a key challenge. Technological solutions exist, but their competitiveness and efficiency must be demonstrated.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the LIFE ZEUS ZLD WATER REUSE project is to demonstrate the environmental, technical and economic value of an innovative water recycling solution that combines several separation techniques. The technology will generate three different streams from wastewater of the MONIN factory in Bourges (syrup manufacturer) in France:

• Purified water, reused in the factory process;
• Sodium chloride (NaCl), reused in the factory in the water softening system; and
• Organic nutrients, used externally for biogas production.

Following previous efforts to reduce the water consumption of the factory from 4 litres to 2.5 litres per litre of syrup, the project’s ambition is to reduce water consumption to less than 1 litre for 1 litre of syrup.

The project contributes to the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) that requires an efficient use of water in industrial activities and the recycling of wastewater. It will also contribute to the EU Circular Economy Action Plan (COM/2020/98), as well as the climate neutrality objectives by 2050 mentioned in the European Green Deal and the proposal for the first European Climate Law (COM 2020/80).

RESULTS

Expected results:

• Recycling 90% of industrial wastewater (45 000 m³ per year) to reduce by 68% the water needs of the factory, corresponding to the reuse of 40 500 m³ of treated water per year;
•  As co-products of the wastewater treatment, 38 tons/year of sodium chloride will also be reused on site and 405 tons of organic waste will be used externally to produce biogas;
• The biogas production (1 500 MWh/year) from organic waste is foreseen to contribute to 1 419 tons of CO₂ avoided per year; and
  
• The preparation of solution commercialisation is expected to lead to the training of at least 4 commercial partners, and generate within 5 years after the project end a turnover of €5 million and 77 jobs, through 186 replication/transfer cases.