EnviroChemie implemented a high-performance wastewater treatment plant for Algeria’s largest dairy, enabling the treatment of heavily organic-laden dairy effluents and the reuse of water for agricultural purposes.
EnviroChemie designed, built, and successfully commissioned a multi-stage wastewater treatment plant for the food industry for Laiterie Soummam, the largest dairy in Algeria. The plant is specifically tailored to treat wastewater from milk processing and ensures reliable purification even under high organic loads.
The system combines several stages of industrial wastewater treatment, including mechanical pre-treatment, a flotation unit for removing fats and suspended solids, and subsequent biological treatment to reduce organic contaminants.
The plant is complemented by integrated sludge treatment with dewatering, efficiently separating solids and enabling beneficial reuse of residual materials. This not only optimizes wastewater treatment in the dairy industry but also supports sustainable resource management.
Laiterie Soummam produces large quantities of UHT milk, yogurt, fresh cheese, and processed cheese every day. Milk processing generates significant volumes of highly contaminated wastewater. On average, around 4,800 m³ of dairy wastewater are produced daily, requiring a robust treatment solution.
These effluents are characterized by high organic loads, particularly elevated chemical oxygen demand (COD). The objective of the project was to implement a reliable wastewater treatment system that ensures compliance with legal discharge limits.
In addition, part of the treated water was to be reused in line with sustainable water recycling practices in the food industry—specifically for irrigation of the site’s outdoor areas.
Another key requirement was the sustainable treatment and utilization of the resulting sewage sludge to ensure resource-efficient plant operation.
The plant is based on a multi-stage treatment concept for dairy wastewater. It combines mechanical pre-treatment, dissolved air flotation (Flomar®) for the removal of fats and solids, and aerobic biological treatment.
At the core of the biological stage are two Biomar® OBR reactors, which efficiently reduce the chemical oxygen demand of the wastewater from approximately 5,000 mg/L to below 120 mg/L. Integrated aeration ensures stable process conditions, even with fluctuating wastewater loads.
The generated sewage sludge is subsequently dewatered, making it suitable for agricultural reuse.
The plant enables reliable treatment of large volumes of dairy wastewater with high purification performance. A portion of the treated water is reused for irrigating the dairy’s outdoor areas, reducing the demand for fresh water.
The dewatered sewage sludge can be used as fertilizer in agriculture, supporting sustainable resource utilization.
This project demonstrates how industrial food production, advanced wastewater treatment, and water reuse can be successfully combined to enable sustainable water and resource management.
