Meat processing and slaughtering wastewater contains heavy loads of blood, protein, fat, grease, suspended solids, ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus. It features high COD, BOD, sharp water quality fluctuation and strong biodegradability. Without proper treatment, direct discharge triggers eutrophication, odour pollution and pathogen risks. Irregular batch production and frequent cleaning cycles bring great challenges for stable operation of wastewater systems for meat plants worldwide.
Our reliable combined process is specially developed for meat processing wastewater: mechanical screening, equalization tank, dissolved air flotation (DAF), IC anaerobic reactor, A/O biological denitrification, secondary sedimentation and advanced treatment. The screening unit removes meat scraps, hair and large solids first. The regulating tank balances water quantity and pH to buffer impact load from intermittent production. DAF is the core pretreatment unit to separate oil, grease and fine flocs efficiently, protecting downstream anaerobic tanks from oil contamination and sludge floating failure.
After DAF, wastewater flows into the IC anaerobic reactor, where most organic pollutants are degraded. Biogas generated during anaerobic digestion can be recovered for boiler heating or power generation, cutting factory energy expenditure. The anaerobic effluent enters the A/O tank to complete nitrification and denitrification for ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen removal, which is critical to meet strict discharge standards in Europe, Southeast Asia and Central Asia. The final sedimentation unit separates activated sludge; optional advanced filtration or disinfection modules can be added for water reuse such as floor washing and equipment cleaning.
Compared with traditional aerobic-only processes, this solution reduces aeration power consumption significantly and lowers excess sludge output. The whole set adopts automatic online monitoring for DO, pH, COD and water flow, with simple operation and low labour demand. Modular layout saves land occupation and supports phased expansion for small and medium-sized slaughterhouses. Floating sludge and greasy scum collected from DAF can be dewatered by plate frame filter press for safe disposal or resource utilization.
Tighter global environmental regulations push meat manufacturers to upgrade wastewater facilities. Many slaughter plants have adopted this DAF plus anaerobic-A/O process to solve unstable effluent, high running cost and grease blockage problems.
We provide turnkey services including customized process design, equipment fabrication, installation, commissioning and long-term technical after-sales. Our engineered packages help meat processors achieve stable compliance, energy recovery and circular water management.
Sustainable wastewater treatment helps meat enterprises reduce environmental risks and enhance brand competitiveness. Contact our team for technical proposals and real project references.
