Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the Food Industry

This Brief is devoted to clean drinking water, which is (one of) the most important asset(s) in the food and beverage industry. In the present time of increasing water scarcity in many areas of the world, supply of clean water especially in the production and packaging chain of foods and beverages, is a crucial issue. This Brief hence outlines why functioning purification and reuse systems for wastewater are becoming more and more interesting and promising technologies in solving the challenge. 

Readers find in this Brief an introduction to different innovative treatment methodologies. The authors discuss key parameters (such as the water volume to be treated, types and chemical and physico-chemical characteristics of pollutants, but also the intended use of the recycled water) and present various methodologies, such as separation or concentration systems, centrifugation, evaporation, filtration, flotation, gravity separation, membrane techniques, aerobic and anaerobic biological treatments, as well as combined or hybrid systems. Selected specific methods are presented in detail, specifically a new adsorption method for the removal of metal ions.

• Food industry wastewaters
• Opuntia Ficus Indica
• Water reuse in beverage production
• Adsorption water cleaning
• Bioremediation of wastewater
• Drinking water quality
• Pollutant filtration
• Bioflocculants
• Separation of water pollutants
• Purification wastewater
• water quality and water pollution
• water quality and water pollution
• water and health

• DEMETRA Department, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

  Marcella Barbera

• Benaquam S.r.L., San Marino, Italy

  Giovanni Gurnari

Marcella Barbera is a chemist working for the Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection (ARPA, Sicilia) as an expert analytical technician for environmental analyses. She worked as a research chemist in collaboration with the DEMETRA Department of the University of Palermo, Italy. She has also worked with private laboratories, with a major focus in analytical methods on different food matrices. In particular, topics of her recent research comprise the study of biogenic amines and the selection of amine-degrading non-starter lactic acid bacteria in Sicilian cheeses. Her published works include “Inhibitory Activity and Chemical Characterization of  Daucus carota subsp. maximus Essential Oils’  (2017),  “Effect of the lemon essential oils on the safety and sensory quality of salted sardines (Sardina pilchardus Walbaum 1792)” (2017),  and the book “Chemical Profiles of Industrial Cow’s Milk Curds” (SpringerBriefs in Chemistry of Foods).

Giovanni Gurnari has been in charge of water engineering activities for decades. For a long time his work had a major focus on applications in water researches, water supply system, thermalism, wellness, aquatic pools and materials compatibility in the hospitals, touristic, health clinics, sport, and recreational fields. He served as a lecturer in several Italian, French and Russian Universities, and his interests are now focused on hygienic renovation, project and design of Health Structures for mineral and thermal water, in particular the planning and design of hydraulic and air treatment plants, with special technical features for industrial and non-industrial applications. Dr Gurnari is also theVice President/ Leader of Technical and Scientific Commission of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC). Currently, he is CEO of Benaquam srl, a leader company of the branch. He has a remarkable international experience on behalf of the World Bank, the United Nations, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and several public and private Companies. At present, Dr Gurnari is also conducting different projects in several China Provinces. His publications include the book ‘Safety Protocols in the Food Industry and Emerging Concerns’ (SpringerBriefs in Chemistry of Foods, Springer).