Quesos Alimer cheese factoryview Toray

Quesos Alimer, a cheese factory in south-east Spain, required an efficient solution for treating the wastewater generated during cheese production. This wastewater contains high levels of organic matter, fats and suspended solids, which represented a challenge for effective treatment and compliance with strict local discharge regulations.

To overcome these challenges, Instalaciones Hergasa was contracted to implement a new wastewater treatment system and following a 5-month construction phase, the project was successfully commissioned in June 2023.

The chosen solution has been Toray's advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, in particular the NHP210-300S model. With a single train system design with two units and a total flow capacity of 156 m³ per day (peak 10 m³/h), the MBR system integrates biological treatment with membrane filtration, ensuring efficient separation of sludge and treated water. The PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) membranes with a nominal pore size of 0.08 µm work by gravity filtration and ensure high operational reliability and consistent flow rates (average 15.5 L/m²h, peak 23.8 L/m²h). This state-of-the art system allows the dairy to meet local environmental standards for wastewater discharge while maintaining stable, long-term performance.

RESULTS AND BENEFITS

The installation of the Toray MBR system at Quesos Alimer has significantly improved the quality of the effluent and ensured compliance with strict discharge regulations.

• The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was reduced from 4,000 mg/L to less than 10 mg/L in the treated wastewater, while the biological oxygen demand (BOD) was reduced from 1900 mg/L to less than 2 mg/L.
• Total suspended solids (TSS) was reduced from 890 mg/L to less than 2 mg/L, and oils and fats from 227 mg/L to less than 5 mg/L.
• In addition, the system demonstrated effective nitrogen removal, with total nitrogen levels reduced from 98 mg/L to less than 12 mg/L.

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