Progress 06/01/07 to 07/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The primary output activity completed as part of the project was the on-site remote field testing of the Parthenocarpic Flocculation Compound, or PFC, at numerous non-meat food processing facilities located across the United States. These remote field tests, in general, involved the collection of small samples of non-meat food plant waste water or processing water that were expected or known to contain recoverable amounts of organic material suitable for use in livestock rations. Once collected, the processing water samples under went appropriate pH adjustment, were treated with varying amounts of PFC to determine an optimum inclusion rate to induce coagulation, and were further treated with cationic and/or anionic polyacrylamide-based compounds to enhance the flocculation process. The following companies participated in this project with the indicated locations serving as the remote testing sites: Citrosuco, Lake Wales, FL; Florida's Natural, Lake Wales, FL; Frito-Lay, Frankfort, IN; Interstate Bakeries, Columbus, IN; Lakeside Foods, Owatonna, MN; McCain Foods, Plover, WI; Red Gold, Elwood, IN; Tate and Lyle, Lafayette, IN; and Tree Top, Selah, WA. In addition to the companies listed above, numerous other food companies and food industry associations were also contacted and supplied with basic information concerning past research work associated with the development of PFC and outlined the goals of the recently completed USDA SBIR Phase I project. Food industry associations contacted included the following: Juice Products Association, Washington D.C.; Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C.; American Bakers Association, Washington, D.C.; American Frozen Food Institute, Mclean, VA; Midwest Food Processors Association, Madison, WI; and the Northwest Food Processors Association, Portland, OR. Avenues of contact included email and telephone. A follow-up, on-site briefing of past PFC-based research work and the planned project work were also conducted with food processing companies and food industry associations interested in participating in the research project. Organizations not receiving on-site briefings were able to receive PFC research informational data packages as email attachments or, in rare instances an informational data package was supplied to the organization of interest via a direct delivery. The final results of this project were supplied to the companies who made their food processing operations available as on-site remote testing locations and to food industry associations that requested the projects final results. The final results for all companies were modified to remove identifying information of the parent company and plant location before transmission of the data to the remote test site host companies. Only the final results for the tests conducted at a particular food processing plant were supplied to the parent company in an unaltered format. Food industry associations, other food processing companies that did not participate directly in the project, and other interested third parties only received the general project results with no identification of parent company or food processing plant location. PARTICIPANTS: Bud G. Harmon, PhD was the Principal Investigator/Project Director, or PI/PD, for the project. He was responsible for conducting the bench tests to determine the appropriate protocol for injecting the Parthenocarpic Flocculation Compound, or PFC, in the collected waste water or processing water samples taken at each non-meat food processing plant. He was responsible for the collection, packaging, and shipment to a third party nutrient analysis laboratory the PFC-collected solids from the remote on-site testing locations. Upon receipt of the analysis reports from the third party laboratory, he was responsible for evaluating the nutrient value of the PFC-collected solids recovered from the waste water or processing water at each individual food processing facility. Upon completion of the on-site remote field testing, he contributed to the development of the final report and conducted a final review of the entire report prior to submission to USDA. Timothy M. Ortman was the Financial Analyst, or F/A, for the project. He was responsible for conducting the cost/benefit analysis the reviewed the economic viability of utilizing PFC in the collection of solids from the waste water or processing water generated at non-meat food processing operations. He was responsible for initiating and maintaining contact with numerous non-meat food processing companies and food industry associations to select and obtain permission to conduct on-site PFC-based tests and solids collection. He was responsible for conducting preliminary briefings for food industry associations interested in supporting the project and for food processing companies interested in granting access to their food processing facilities to conduct the on-site PFC tests. He was responsible for conducting preliminary site visits to evaluate the suitability of each food processing plant for participation in this project and to coordinate the planning and logistics for the placement of the portable on-site testing equipment at each food processing facility. Upon completion of the on-site remote field testing, he contributed to the development of the final report and managed the development and production of the final report until its submission to USDA. Timothy M. Ortman was the Wastewater Analysis Technician, or WAT, for the project. He assisted the PI/PD during the on-site bench tests to determine the appropriate protocol for injecting PFC in the collected waste water or processing water samples taken at each non-meat food processing plant and assisted in the collection of the required solids for further nutrient analysis. He conducted on-site analysis of the PFC-treated waste water or processing water after the solids were flocculated and removed. Upon completion of the on-site remote field testing, he contributed to the development of the final report prior to its submission to USDA. TARGET AUDIENCES: The results of this project are targeted toward food industry associations, individual food processing companies, government agencies, and other interested third parties that are actively involved in identifying new research and products designed to increase the percentage of recycled material, decrease the percentage of waste output produced, and reduce the cost of production in the food processing industry. The results of this project are also targeted to these same groups that are interested in new research and products that show an ability to significantly reduce the discharge of compounds found in food processing water effluent such as phosphorous which can contribute to and exasperate water pollution issues. Efforts to disseminate the information generated from this project include real-time demonstrations during the course of the completed project; on-site demonstrations and information presentations for interested food processing companies; internet access to project and related research results via a specialized website; presentations at food industry association meetings, seminars, symposiums, and expositions; and presentations at wastewater-based remediation meetings, seminars, symposiums, and expositions. When available, cooperation with print, video, and audio-based media outlets reporting on wastewater remediation issues in general or the results of this project and related research in particular will be actively supported. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The original project was expected to conduct a financial analysis to determine the cost/benefit of utilizing the Parthenocarpic Flocculation Compound, or PFC, at each food processing facility participating in this project as a remote on-site testing location. During the course of the project, it was determined that the variations in waste water and processing water management and treatment practices across all the participating facilities were of such a magnitude to excessively complicate and distort the cost/benefit analysis beyond the scope and intent of the original project. It was determined that a more simplified and manageable approach to evaluating the cost/benefit of utilizing PFC would be used. A standardized waste/processing water treatment system was assumed to be in place at all operations that incorporated a Dissolved Air Floatation, or DAF, water/solids separation system utilizing a common and relatively inexpensive ferric-based coagulant compound. The standardized system, a DAF unit coupled with a ferric-based coagulant, is a relatively common solids separation system throughout the food processing industry and was determined to be a reasonable basis to evaluate the cost/benefit of utilizing PFC for this project. As part of the cost/benefit analysis, the ferric-based compound was substituted with PFC to develop an economic comparison between the DAF/ferric-based system and the DAF/PFC-based system.
Impacts
The results of the project showed the ability of the Parthenocarpic Flocculation Compound, or PFC, to satisfactorily remove organic solids from the waste water or processing water generated at a wide range of non-meat food processing plants. The on-site remote location field tests generally showed a requirement to elevate the waste water or processing water sample to a significantly higher pH level to facilitate the recovery of the organic solids contained in solution via flocculation. The recovery and testing of the solids contained in the waste water or processing water sampled at the individual food processing sites showed the nutrient value of the collected solids was of sufficient quality to be usable in livestock rations. The follow-on economic feasibility study as part of this project showed that geographically unique waste water and processing water disposal requirements have a significant impact on the expected economic viability of utilizing PFC to reclaim solids form non-meat food plant processing water. The economic value of utilizing PFC-recovered non-meat solids in livestock rations may not adequately compensate the user for the additional costs expected from operating a solids recovery system for facilities having the current option of using relatively simple and lower cost irrigation systems for land application. The study did indicate a positive cost impact could be expected from utilizing a PFC-based solids recovery system for non-meat food processing facilities that are operating under regulatory conditions that require the treatment of waste water and processing water prior to discharge. The makeup of the recovered solids, such as the percentages of protein, carbohydrate, and ash content, has a significant impact on the expected economic value of the recovered solids when used in livestock rations. The ability to conduct on-site sampling and testing of the processing water generated at non-meat food processing sites was critical to efficiently and quickly conduct the PFC tests and collect the organic solids for further nutrient analysis. The overnight shipment of the PFC-collected solid samples to a third party lab that specializes in nutrient analysis allowed for the efficient and cost effective analysis of the recovered solids for use in livestock rations.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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