The first person in the US to be recorded as having COVID-19 occurred on January 30th, 2020. By mid-March 2020, the whole US and most of the world were shut down and sent home to isolate. COVID was spreading like wildfire. Our entire lives were changed for 2 plus years, and for that matter forever. Kids were attending online schooling, and their parents and adults everywhere were doing their jobs online and by phone. Stores were barren. Restaurants were closed. Every product and service became available through online ordering. Frozen food, with everything from breakfast sandwiches to meat products, pizzas, you name it, was in high demand. Fresh fruit, milk, cheese, and vegetables were hard to find during some parts of the pandemic.
Although COVID has become more manageable, and we are shifting back to a less disruptive lifestyle, people are still eating at home more than pre-pandemic. This has led to food companies expanding, with new products for food and beverage appearing all the time. These changes have had a huge impact on the overall amount and quality of water flowing through these plants.
Why Wastewater Treatment?
According to new market research data, the water and wastewater treatment market for the food industry is expected and estimated to grow and reach somewhere from $800 to 850 billion by 2032.* With food and beverage production comes the need for waste and water treatment. The main goal of wastewater treatment is to protect human, plant, and animal life from harmful and toxic elements discharged from manufacturing plants. Water treatment facilities speed up the natural process of purifying water. These facilities use physical, chemical, and biological processes to treat wastewater generated from food and beverage plants. After removing the harmful pollutants, the treated water can go back into the environment without having a negative impact on the ecosystem.
Food manufacturing is one of the most water-intensive segments of any industry. Both potable and non-potable water is used for production, refrigeration, steam generation, and cleaning during manufacturing.
The wastewater treatment segment is expected to account for the largest share of the water and wastewater treatment market for the food industry in 2023 and the foreseeable future. The focus is on the growing need and necessity for clean water, recycling water, and the reuse of treated wastewater in the food industry.
Even with the Covid surge over, the demand for meat, poultry, and seafood demand continues to be at the highest level ever. This furthers the emphasis on the growing need for sustainable wastewater treatment – which contains high organic and nutrient contents, such as in slaughterhouse operations.
Dairy products are also in high demand. The level of organic matter in dairy wastewater must be monitored and treated.
All production areas such as design, engineering, and construction are expected to grow at a rapid rate. Process control & automation are also expected to grow. As the industry grows, we can anticipate that laws and government regulations surrounding water quality will also become more stringent.
Going Forward
As the food and beverage industry continues to grow, the demand for water and wastewater treatment grows with it. Many of the existing water treatment and wastewater systems in these plants are operating at maximum capacity. The increased demand presents a multitude of problems that must be addressed in order to meet increased production needs. The ability to leverage services from a full-service water treatment company makes it easier achieve goals by applying a full-system approach. Water impacts many areas of a facility from point of entry to discharge. Having a partner that can provide chemicals, equipment, service, and support is key to creating a program that works successfully to maximize water usage.
Watertech of America Can Help
If you are looking for a full-service water treatment partner to help achieve your goals, Watertech can help. Watertech has the technology, experience, chemicals, and environmentally friendly solutions to help your plants expanding needs. In many cases these solutions can be applied with little capital costs and will improve the overall efficiency of the system – improving your bottom line and keeping you in compliance! To learn how Watertech can be an asset for your facility, reach out using the link below to request a free Site Survey and one of our technical engineers will be in touch.
*Organic Food and Beverages Market Will Register a CAGR of 13% Over the Next Ten Years of Progress Ultimately Reaching US$ 850 Billion by 2033
Jay Evans | Territory Manager – Northern IL
Jay has worked in the water treatment industry for 25 years and has experience in boiler, cooling and wastewater chemical treatment programs. Jay leads educational training events and seminars to promote better water management and improve safety. Contact him directly at 630-277-6509,
jevans@watertechusa.com or follow him on
LinkedIn.