Selection of the best available technology for industrial wastewater treatment based on environmental evaluation of alternative treatment technologies: The case of milk industry

The selection of the best available technology for the treatment of industrial wastewater requires a well structured and comprehensive methodology for the systematic evaluation of the alternative technologies. A suitable methodology for the selection of an integrated management system of industrial wastewater from the environmental and economic viewpoint has been developed and applied for the case of milk industry. In order to select the environmentally friendlier and most economic integrated treatment system, different industrial wastewater treatment technologies were considered. The treatment systems consisted of alternative pretreatment processes, biological treatment technologies (aerobic and anaerobic) and sludge treatment. A spreadsheet model that calculates the consumption of materials, energy, main consumables and emissions associated with both the construction and operation phases of the alternative treatment technologies was constructed. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was then used to quantify the potential environmental impacts in each case. Options based on anaerobic digestion were found to be the most environmentally friendly leading to fewer emissions.