1.0 REVIEW OF BONLAC OPERATIONS
2.0 PLANNING AND ORGANISATION OF THE BONLAC FOODS CLEANER PRODUCTION PROJECT
2.1 CLEANER PRODUCTION APPROACH USED AT BONLAC FOODS
2.2 CLEANER PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES
2.2. 1 CIP Chemicals Change Over
2.2.2 Diversion of Waste Water to Farmland
2.2.3 Solids Screening from Cheese Room Waste Water
2.2.4 Alternative Disposal of Soap Stock
3.0 CLEANER PRODUCTION INITIATIVES
3.1 CIP CHEMICALS CHANGEOVER
3.1.1 Project Evaluation and Implementation
3.1.2 Results
3.2 DIVERSION OF WASTE WATER TO FARM IRRIGATION
3.2.1 Project Evaluation
3.2.2 Project Implementation
3.2.3 Results
3.3 SOLIDS SCREENING FROM CHEESE ROOM WASTE WATER
3.3.1 Project Evaluation
3.3.2 Project Implementation
3.3.3 Results
3.4 ALTERNATIVE DISPOSAL OF SOAP STOCK
3.4.1 Project Evaluation
3.4.2 Project Implementation
3.4.3 Results
| TABLE 1 | DAILY MARGINAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE OVER TO STABILON®
|
| FIGURE 1 | VOLUME OF WASTE WATER DISCHARGE TO THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY PER TONNE OF CHEESE PRODUCED FOR BOTH THE 1995/1996 SEASON AND THE 1994/1995 SEASON (kL OF WASTE WATER/TONNE OF CHEESE)
|
| FIGURE 2 | TONNE OF CHEESE PRODUCED PER KILOLITRE OF MILK INTAKE FOR BOTH THE 1995/1996 SEASON AND THE 1994/1995 SEASON (TONNE OF CHEESE/kL OF MILK INTAKE).
|
| FIGURE 3 | VOLUME OF EFFLUENT DISCHARGED TO THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE DIVERSION OF LOW IONIC WASTE STREAMS TO FARMLAND FOR IRRIGATION.
|
| FIGURE 4 | VOLUME OF EFFLUENT DISCHARGED TO THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY PER TONNE OF CHEESE PRODUCED, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE DIVERSION OF LOW IONIC WASTE STREAMS TO FARMLAND FOR IRRIGATION.
|
| FIGURE 5 | TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS IN THE WASTE WATER DISCHARGE STREAM PER TONNE OF CHEESE PRODUCED FOR THE 1995/1996 CHEESE PRODUCTION SEASON.
|
| FIGURE 6 | TSS IN WASTEWATER PER TONNE OF CHEESE PRODUCED 1995/1996 SEASON (SCREENS INSTALLED NOVEMBER 1995)
|
The Cleaner Production Demonstration Project (the
Project) was an initiative of Environment Australia -The Environment
Protection Group (EPG). The aim of the Project was to raise the
awareness of Australian industry and actively promote cleaner
production issues. This was to be achieved by conducting ten
successful cleaner production demonstration projects in industry
around Australia, documenting the benefits and experiences of
the project, and publicising the results to wider industry. Dames
& Moore, assisted by Energetics, were engaged as technical
consultants on the project. The project commenced in June 1994,
and ran for 27 months.
Bonlac Foods' Stanhope facility in Victoria was
selected as one of the ten companies to participate in the project.
This case study represents a record of progress of the Bonlac
project, and any problems or lessons which may have been encountered.
The case study demonstrates the application of Cleaner Production
to the dairy foods processing industry.
Bonlac Foods, Australia's largest manufacturer
of dairy products, is committed to producing high quality dairy
products with minimal impacts to the environment. When producing
cheese and milk powder, Bonlac is faced with the problem of preventing
small particles of cheese entering its waste water drainage system.
These particles represent a loss of product and add an unnecessary
load onto the waste water treatment facility.
In addition, Bonlac must ensure that all process
equipment, pipes and tanks are kept clean and free of unwanted
micro-organisms. This is achieved with a periodic chemical flushing
process called, Cleaning In Place (CIP), and involves the use
of both alkaline solutions and acid detergents. These chemicals
ultimately discharge to the waste water treatment facility and
increase the load on the system.
The cleaner production demonstration projects
that were initially identified were as follows:
Alternative CIP Cleaning Process/Solution
The use of Stabilon ® was expected to reduce
the use of an acid cleaning solution in the dairy CIP process.
It was also expected to reduce the total volume of waste water
and phosphorous levels in the effluent being discharged to the
waste water treatment facility. Change over to Stabilon®;
detergent was found to reduce the cycle time of the CIP process,
providing more time to produce cheese. This resulted in an income
net benefit of about $310.00 per day.
Diversion of Waste water to Land Filtration
Some of the less contaminated waste water streams
were to be diverted to a farm for spray irrigation thus reducing
the biological and hydraulic load on the effluent treatment facility.
The diversion to farm is limited to the drier months. Soil which
is too wet cannot effectively handle the additional waste water.
Results of a ten day trial indicated a 30% reduction in the waste water volume discharged to the waste water treatment facility. The diversion will recommence on a regular basis in
the next cheese production season.
Solids Screening, Cheese Room Waste water
Appreciable quantities of cheese solids are lost
to the drain in the cheese room operations during normal production,
daily wash down and the CIP process.
Bonlac aims to capture these solids and reduce
the organic load on the waste water treatment facility. Two methods
were proposed to deal with this issue. The first involves installing
screens at the points where the large losses occur. The second
method involves installing two large settling tanks in the whey
room to capture cheese fines in the process rinse water. The
impact of the project was to be assessed by monitoring the total
suspended solids levels in waste water discharge from the cheese
room.
Overall levels of suspended solids in the water
was immediately noted as a results of the project implementation.
The reduction was not as significant as expected but this is
largely attributed to only one settling tank being commissioned.
In addition, insufficient time was available to properly tune
the tank to operate at optimum design conditions. This is believed
to have reduced the effectiveness of the settling tank in removing
the solids from in the waste water discharge. However, Bonlac
will have both tanks operational and fully tuned for the next
cheese production season. It is expected that the TSS level in
the waste water discharge will show a significant reduction.
The total cost for the works to capture the cheese
fine was about $30,500 The budget recovery of the fines was monitored
by Bonlac Stanhope on a monthly basis. The recovery is expected
to translate as $100,968 Therefore, the payback period for this
project is less than 4 months.
Alternative Disposal of Soap Stock
Soap stock is a by-product of anhydrous milk fat
production. It is basically a mixture of caustic soda and free
fatty acids, and is approximately 5 % solids. It is normally
disposed to landfill at a property owned by Bonlac. An opportunity
was identified to sell the product to commercial soap manufacturers,
however the natural composition of the soap stock was found to
vary beyond the specifications imposed by the soap manufacturer
and the project was postponed indefinitely.
A key lesson from this Cleaner Production demonstration
project is that the process of compiling the environmental and
process data in itself plays an important role in the identification
of Cleaner Production initiatives. Other important lessons which
emanated from demonstration project include the importance of
commitment from management, ideas are encouraged in teams commissioned
to assess specific parts of the operation, and that opportunities
do not have to involve large capital costs.
Cleaner Production initiatives have been implemented
at Bonlac Foods (Stanhope) with significant improvements. This
has provided Bonlac with incentive for other Cleaner Production
opportunities to be investigated and implemented.
Table of Contents
The Stanhope facility processes whole milk transported
by road tanker from some 780 local suppliers. The facility produces
a variety of cheese, milk powders and anhydrous milk fat. The
facility currently employs 241 people which includes seasonal
workers during the peak milk intake period. Milk production peaks
in December and January but declines during the winter months.
The manufacturing processes typically involve demineralisation,
cheese making and spray drying.
In the cheese making plant, milk stored in silos
is pasteurised prior to being churned within a network of stirred
vats. The vats are heated with process water, and operate in
batch mode. During the batch cycle, the milk is converted into
a mixture of curd and whey. This mixture is fed into the "Alf-O-Matic"
cheese maker which separates the whey, and converts the curd into
cheese solids. The cheese is then salted to extract water held
by the cheese prior to being transported into the "Wincanton
Tower" cheese presses. The cheese solids are compacted in
the towers to produce 25 kg cheese blocks which are packaged,
labelled and dispatched off-site for further processing.
The other major operation at the Stanhope facility
involves the production of milk powder. Milk from the storage
silos is fed into a series of evaporators to produce a milk concentrate.
The concentrate is then fed into one of two spray dryers from
which fine milk powder is produced. The powder is subsequently
packaged for sale off-site.
Maintaining clean process vessels and equipment is
extremely important for Bonlac. This is achieved by periodic
cleaning of the plants process facilities with detergents and
other chemicals. The procedure is called Cleaning In Place (CIP),
and involves the use of acids and alkaline solutions. This cleaning
procedure, in addition to the normal process operations generates
large volumes of waste water.
The site generates over 3.3 million litres of waste
water each day. The waste water is directed to the plants waste
water treatment facility. The treatment facility consist of a
series of aeration ponds, anaerobic lagoons and staged settling
lagoons. Treated effluent is then discharged into Deakin Drain,
a canal which channels the waste water into the Murray River.
Bonlac have an EPA licence which outlines conditions pertaining
to this discharge.
In order to meet the demands of its customers and
produce high quality dairy products, Bonlac performs its operations
to an accredited Quality Management System (ISO 9002). Bonlac
is also committed to producing high quality products with minimal
impacts to the environment. The site is currently seeking accreditation
for implementing and developing an Environmental Management System
based on ISO 14001. In addition, Environmental Teams were established
at Stanhope, to address environmental issues such as monitoring
the plants performance in relation to waste water, reduction in
the use of cleaning chemicals and reducing general waste generated
during the manufacturing operations. Bonlac's philosophy is to
minimise and reduce the impact of waste generated by the plant
operations by improving the process efficiency. Through continuous
improvement, Bonlac intend to increase the product recovery and
simultaneously decrease the cost incurred with waste handling.
Cleaner production was identified by Bonlac as a medium to facilitate
the realisation of these goals.
Bonlac Stanhope have implemented Environment Teams
dedicated to identifying target areas to improve environmental
performance. One such group is the Cheese Waste Reduction Team.
The main aim of this team is to develop strategies to reduce
the use of cleaning detergents, waste water, and product and raw
material wastage in the cheese plant. Work teams have also been
established in the spray drying areas, milk receival and product
packaging, all with a focus on continuous improvement and waste
minimisation. The Environment Teams meet regularly to evaluate
suggestions seen to benefit Bonlac through enhanced process efficiency,
and benefit the surrounding environment through reduced discharge
of waste.
At the outset of the Demonstration Project, Bonlac
Foods realised that the concept of Cleaner Production would help
facilitate some of the areas identified by the Environment Teams.
An initial meeting was held between senior staff at Bonlac, and
Dames & Moore, to discuss some of the options and ideas available
for the Cleaner Production Demonstration Project. Dames &
Moore facilitated those meetings, and assisted with evaluating
the advantages and disadvantages of various projects. However,
the final selection decision was made by Bonlac based on areas
which were perceived as having greatest potential in terms of
returned benefit to the company and the environment.
The key personnel involved in the Bonlac Cleaner
Production Demonstration Project team were:
Throughout the duration of this project, regular
meetings were held between Bonlac and Dames & Moore. Dames
& Moore provided technical advice as required, and documented
the results of the project. Bonlac was responsible for the implementation
and development of the projects.
2.2 CLEANER PRODUCTION
OPPORTUNITIES
A number of opportunities were identified by the
Environment teams. The four projects selected were:
There were no formal criteria such as economic evaluation
or a feasibility analysis, used to choose these projects. However,
the projects were deemed by Bonlac to provide an excellent opportunity
to demonstrate the benefits of cleaner production.
This section describes the four cleaner production
projects that were identified.
2.2.1 CIP Chemicals Change Over
In order to protect human health, all food processing
plant and equipment must be maintained in an extremely clean and
hygienic condition. Bonlac must maintain clean conditions in
all its process equipment and pipes which handle materials related
to the cheese making process. The equipment surfaces are Cleaned
In Place (CIP) with a combination of alkaline solution, acid detergents
and hot water. The acid detergent normally used at Bonlac is
a mixture of nitric and phosphoric acids.
Approximately 300L per day of spent acid and alkaline
wastes are discharged to site waste water treatment ponds which
eventually discharge to surface drains. Nitrates and phosphates
in the waste are undesirable because these compounds increase
the nutrient loading in the waste water, which enhances the risk
of algae growth and eutrophication of the receiving waterways,
in this case the Murray River.
An alternative to this acid mix is Stabilon®;
detergent. Stabilon® is a combination of complex agents,
wetting agents, anti-foam agents, cleaning activators and emulsifiers.
When used in conjunction with caustic soda, the need
for a regular acid cleaning stage in dairy CIP systems can largely
be eliminated.
The use of Stabilon® would reduce the nitrate
and phosphate load in the waste water, but also reduce the total
volume of effluent disposed to the waste water treatment facility.
This is because Stabilon® has more effective cleaning properties
compared with the traditional acid mixture and the large liquid
volumes associated with the acid cycle is eliminated.
2.2.2 Diversion of Waste Water to Farmland
Total effluent to the waste water treatment facility
is approximately 3,390 kL of waste water per day. There are three
waste water streams which contribute a substantial volume to the
waste water treatment facility. They are:
These streams are relatively clean, and free of significant
quantities of suspended or dissolved solids. It was proposed
to divert these streams away from the waste water treatment facility
to nearby farmland for irrigation. If successful, the cost savings
arising from the reduced volume of effluent to be handled by the
sites waste water treatment facility would be significant.
2.2.3 Solids Screening from Cheese Room Waste Water
Cheese solids are lost to the drain in the cheese
room during normal operations, daily wash down and the CIP process.
The sources of cheese solid losses include the cheese vats, the
Alfa-O-Matic cheese maker, the salting station and the Wincanton
towers (used to press the cheese into blocks). It was proposed
to capture these solids and reduce the amount of cheese solids
in the waste water discharged to the waste water treatment facility.
2.2.4 Alternative Disposal of Soap Stock
Soap stock is a by-product of the anhydrous milk
fat manufacturing process. It essentially consists of caustic
soda and free fatty acids, and is approximately 5 per cent solids.
The plant produces approximately 1200 tonnes of soapstock per
year. At the outset of the project, the soap stock was currently
land farmed at a property owned by Bonlac. Soapstock contains
high salt levels which could possibly leach into the groundwater.
An alternative to land disposal was identified. It was proposed
to sell the soap stock to commercial soap makers. However, before
potential buyers could be approached, it was necessary to conduct
a thorough analysis of the soap stock.
3.1.1 Project Evaluation and Implementation
As noted in an earlier section, Bonlac decided that
no detailed evaluation was required of the opportunity as the
perceived economic and environmental benefits were well understood.
Implementation of the project was straight forward
with a simple swap of the acid wash chemical from the existing
nitric/phosphoric acid wash chemical to Stabilon®;. The swap
required operators to be aware of the different water make-up
required to use Stabilon® and its better-cleaning properties.
The impact of the Stabilon® project was to be
assessed by monitoring the waste water quality and volume discharged
from the facility.
Bonlac made the change over to Stabilon® in
their CIP process in September 1995.
Prior to change over to Stabilon® 200 litres
of nitric/phosphoric acid was used each day in the CIP process.
However, only 150 litres of Stabilon® is used to achieve
the same level of cleaning. The need for less cleaning detergents
also reduces the quantity cleaning water used, effluent produced
and in electricity usage to power the cleaning pumps. Phosphorus
and nitric levels in the waste water discharged to the waste water
treatment facility are also expected to decrease.
The use of Stabilon® decreased the normal 6
hour CIP wash time by 25 %, to 4.5 hours. This effectively increased
the available cheese making time by 1.5 hours per day. Bonlac
continue to perform a full acid wash about once a week for control
purposes. The introduction of Stabilon® to the CIP process
increased the available time for the production of cheese by approximately
9 hours per week or 8%.
| Cost ($/day) | |
| Costs | |
| -571.50 |
| Savings | |
| 220.00 |
| 382.50 |
| 220.00 |
| 40.00 |
| 20.80 |
| NET BENEFIT | $311.80 |
As illustrated in Table 1, change over to Stabilon®;
yielded an overall net savings of $311.80 per day. The savings
are expected to increase as the use of Stabilon® detergent
is refined.
The expected reduction in the total quantity of waste water volume
did not occur. However, cleaning with Stabilon® created
additional time available for cheese production and therefore
the volume of waste water increased accordingly. An attempt was
made to relate the volume of waste water discharged to the waste
water treatment facility, to the amount of cheese produced. The
results were compared with data from the 1994/1995 production
season to account for seasonal variation. The results are shown
in Figure 1 and Figure 2.
Figure 1 indicates that in 1995/1996 season, despite the
changeover to Stabilon®;, a clear reduction in effluent discharged
per tonne of cheese produced was not obvious. The results display
a general and gradual decline in waste water discharged from the
cheese room per tonne of cheese produced. However, it is clear
that the waste water generated was greater in December 1996 and
January 1996, compared with the previous season. A reduction
is evident in February and March 1995, but this is subsequently
followed with another increase.
Figure 2 indicates that in the early stages of the 1995/1996
season, more milk was used to produce cheese relative to the 1994/1995
season. This was followed by a slight improvement between December
1995 and April 1996. This variation indicates that other factors
have influenced the waste water volumes discharged from the facility.
Although this study did not demonstrate a reduction in waste
water discharge, it is expected that the volume of waste water
will decrease during the next season as the use of Stabilon®;
is refined.
Although the expected reduction in waste water did not eventuate,
two main benefits from the use of Stabilon® were observed.
Firstly, Bonlac have increased their cheese production rate without
major capital works or plant expansion. Secondly, because Stabilon®;
replaces the use of nitric and phosphoric acids, the nitrogen
and phosphorus nutrient loading in the waste water released to
the waste water treatment facility is expected to decreased.
Such reductions in the environmental nutrient loading will decrease
the risk of algal growth and eutrophication of the receiving waterways.
3.2 DIVERSION OF WASTE WATER TO FARM
IRRIGATION
As with other cleaner production initiatives identified at the
Bonlac Stanhope no quantitative economic or environmental evaluation
was made of the diversion of wastewater to farm irrigation.
Economic benefits of the initiative were perceived as decreased
costs associated with the wastewater treatment plant and sales
of the crop grown on the irrigated land.
Environmental benefits were perceived as a decrease in hydraulic
load to and from the wastewater treatment plant, leading to a
more efficient wastewater treatment plant and a decrease in the
impact of the receiving waterways.
To implement the project an irrigation system needed to be installed
so the proposed diversion system could be trialled.
The wastewater can only be diverted for farm irrigation when there
is sufficient capacity for the irrigated land to sustainably absorb
the wastewater. Therefore, the capacity of the land to accept
the wastewater depends on the season and the amount of rainfall.
The diversion of waste water to farm was scheduled to commence
in December 1995. The farmland is owned by Bonlac.
Diversion of the three low ionic waste water streams from the
whey room, demineralisation plant, and evaporators to nearby farmland
was initially delayed whilst the land was prepared for irrigation
and subsequently commenced in February 1996.
A ten day trail was performed to commission the irrigation facilities
installed, as well as demonstrate the potential reduction in waste
water transported to the waste water treatment facility. The
results of the trial are represented in Figure 3 and Figure
4.
Before diversion commenced, a total of about 3,390 kL of waste
water was sent to the waste water treatment facility each day.
During the diversion, the flow reduced to an average of 2,390
kL per day, representing an approximate 30 % reduction of effluent
discharged into Deakin Drain, and ultimately into the Murray River.
Figure 4 illustrates the waste water discharged to the
waste treatment facility per tonne of cheese produced. This was
done to demonstrate that the effluent reduction was due to the
diversion trials, rather than changes in the production rate.
The diversion will occur continuously commencing in the next cheese
production season. The scheduling of the diversion process will
strongly depend on seasonal climatic patterns including rainfall,
relative humidity and temperature. However, the savings obtained
during the optimum weather conditions will greatly reduce the
loading on the existing waste treatment facility.
Bonlac intend to grow millet grass on the irrigated farmland,
and sell it as fodder for cattle.
In summary, the major benefit of the project is a significant
reduction in the volume of waste water processed by the waste
water treatment facility and an increase in the efficiency of
the facility. This reduction translates into a decrease in the
hydraulic loading of waste water entering the Deakin Drain directing
water to the Murray River. The secondary benefit is the expected
earnings from the millet grass to be grown on the farmland.
3.3 SOLIDS SCREENING FROM CHEESE ROOM
WASTE WATER
No detailed quantitative evaluation was undertaken of the cleaner
production initiative prior to implementation.
The economic benefits of the initiative were identified as a decrease
in lost cheese, thereby effectively increasing plant productivity,
and a decrease in wastewater treatment costs.
The environmental benefits were perceived as a more efficient
use of resources and a decrease in suspended solid and organic
load to the wastewater treatment plant and the local receiving
waterway.
Two methods were proposed for reducing the quantity of suspended
solids in the cheese room wastewater.
One method proposed to capture solids from the cheese room waste
water involved installing screens in the cheese room waste water
outlet, thereby reducing the organic load on the waste water treatment
facility. The recovered solids were to be re-processed if free
of contamination. Installation of the screens was scheduled for
December 1995.
In addition to the screens, Bonlac proposed to install two large
settling tanks in the whey room, with the intent of removing cheese
solids from the process rinse water. This system was considered
less likely to result in microbial contamination of the cheese.
Again the recovered solids could be re-used in the cheese making
process and the wastewater from cheese making plant would have
lower suspended solids. The settling tanks were to be installed
and operational by the beginning of February 1996.
To monitor the impact of the cheese solids removal project, a
sampling and testing program was set up to monitor total suspended
solids (TSS) in the effluent streams leaving the cheese room.
Screens to capture solids in the cheese room effluent discharge,
were installed in December 1995. Total suspended solids (TSS)
in the discharge is plotted in Figure 5 and TSS as a function
of cheese production is plotted in Figure 6. A significant
decrease was noted in the first month of operation, both in absolute
terms and as a function of the tonnage of cheese produced. A
gradual increase is clearly evident beyond January 1996. The
cause of this increase has yet to be determined, but the TSS levels
are still markedly lower than the concentration of suspended solids
in the waste water prior to the installation of the screens.
The settling tanks were installed in late February 1996 although,
because of time constraints, only one tank was commissioned.
Bonlac personnel reported that the optimum operating conditions
for the tank were still being investigated. This could explain
the reduced effectiveness of the settling tank in removing the
solids loading in the waste water discharge and the gradual but
eventual increase in the solids content of the waste water. However,
both tanks will be operational and fully optimised for the next
cheese production season. It is expected that the TSS in the
waste water discharge will decrease during the next season.
| Tank rework for normal and salt curd fines | $11,000 | |
| Kason screens upgrade and pipework | $4,500 | |
| Rearranging pipework on settling tanks | $15,000 | |
| TOTAL COST | $30,500 |
The initiative is expected to decrease the amount of solids being
sent to the wastewater treatment plant and an increase in cheese
production of over 17,700 kgs/year or approximately 1% of production.
This equates to production of approximately $100,000 of product.
The payback period is less than four months.
In summary, the installation of the screens and settling tanks
in the cheese plant reduced the overall level of suspended solids
in the waste water. The major benefit to the environment is from
the reduced organic loading on the receiving waterways. Bonlac
expect to convert the captured solids into product available for
sale.
Bonlac is now using product that was previously lost in the waste
water and is saving on raw materials - milk.
3.4 ALTERNATIVE DISPOSAL OF SOAP STOCK
The cleaner production initiative identified involved finding
a viable use for what is at presently considered a waste.
The economic benefits of the initiative include reducing waste
disposal costs and producing an additional income source. The
environmental benefits included a decreased impact on local soil,
groundwater and surface water and improved use of resources.
To assist in the evaluating potential uses of the soap stock,
Bonlac carried out tests which included an assessment of the free
fatty acids content in the soap stock. The information was used
to determine whether the soap stock composition is sufficiently
consistent during the production season for potential use in the
soap manufacturing process.
A number of samples of the soap stock were taken and analysed. The soap stock composition was found to vary significantly during the season and was influenced by factors such as the type of cream stabilisers used in the anhydrous milk fat manufacturing process. For instance, whey cream was found to increase the amount of solids in the waste because it contained high levels of free fatty acids.
A number of commercial soap manufacturers were approached with
the analysis results. All manufacturers indicated that they required
consistent quality and composition if the purchase of soap stock
was to be viable. In addition, the manufactures specified concentrations
of caustic soda greater than 40 %. Neither of these criteria
could be guaranteed by Bonlac and therefore the material was not
attractive to any of the soap manufacturers contacted.
In summary, selling the soap stock to commercial soap manufacturers
did not eventuate because the soap manufacturers demanded strict
quality control and consistency in the soap stock composition,
which is currently beyond Bonlac's capacity to supply. In the
meantime Bonlac will continue to land farm the soap stock waste.
However, the exercise has yielded a better understanding of the
soap stock composition which will form the basis for seeking other
re-use options in future.
The information gathered was important in evaluating the outcome
of the initiatives of the cleaner production demonstration program.
Bonlac will continue to monitor the quality of their effluent
beyond the completion of this program and use the data to identify
other areas in which to focus cleaner production projects. This
will be used to provide evidence of Bonlacís commitment
to continual improvement in their efforts to minimise any impact
on the environment.
Importantly the cleaner production demonstration program has resulted
in quantifiable benefits for Bonlac as indicated in the previous
section. In addition, the comprehensive monitoring infra-structure
established for continuous monitoring of the effluent will assist
Bonlac in their commitment towards minimising the impact its operations
on the environment.
While the project was a success at Bonlac Foods, there is scope
for increasing the benefits resulting from the cleaner production
scheme. Achievements were limited because the process modifications
and monitoring equipment took longer than expected to implement.
These delays coupled with the fact that the dairy production
has defined seasonal cycles meant that the effective time available
to implement the projects was reduced.
The implementation and day-to-day monitoring of the projects was
the responsibility of one person. As a result some projects took
longer to initiate than others, whilst some only ran for short
periods, enough to demonstrate the benefits. The scheduling was
not due to the person responsible, but rather the lack of resources
made available to them. During the project, other unforseen issues
took higher priority, including quality audits and a change in
production demands.
Actual costs and benefits of implementing the projects were largely
as anticipated.
There is strong commitment from Bonlac to continue to develop
the projects further. Bonlac is also committed to the ongoing
investigation of other opportunities for cleaner production.
The company is committed to operating a certified Environmental
Management System (ISO 14001), through which continuous improvement
and cleaner production will proceed.
There are many cleaner production opportunities for the Bonlac
site. The projects which were implemented during the time frame
of the Demonstration Project resulted in demonstrable savings
for Bonlac and clear benefits for the environment. The projects
focused on continuous improvement, reduction of waste water and
recovery of product in the waste stream.
In this demonstration program, four projects were identified.
Three projects resulted in benefits to Bonlac and the environment.
By improving the process efficiency, the impact of discharges
to the environment has been reduced. Replacing acid cleaning
with a Stabilon® detergent resulted in greater production
capacity and a reduced risk of environmental damage. Diverting
waste water to farmland for irrigation of crops is a clean and
profitable method for dealing with large volumes of effluent.
Screens to capture cheese solids which are normally lost to the
drains results in higher product recovery rates and reduce the
organic loading on the environment. The soap stock project was
not successful in identifying an alternative use rather than disposal
to landfill, but a better understanding of the soap stack composition
was gained.
A key lesson from this Cleaner Production demonstration project
is that the process of compiling the environmental and process
data in itself plays an important role in the identification of
Cleaner Production initiatives. Other important lessons which
emanated from demonstration project include the importance of
commitment from management, ideas are encouraged in teams commissioned
to assess specific parts of the operation, and that opportunities
do not have to involve large capital costs.
Cleaner Production initiatives have been implemented at Bonlac
Foods (Stanhope) with significant improvements. This has provided
Bonlac with incentive for other Cleaner Production opportunities
to be investigated and implemented.
Bonlac believes that the project schedule, costs and benefits
proceeded largely as expected. The overall benefits gained were
significant.
In addition to the cost savings, the Program demonstrated the
method and benefits associated with Cleaner Production concepts.
These methods will be adopted to carry out other cleaner production
opportunities at the Stanhope site and all other Bonlac facilities.
Bonlac will continue to provide additional details of the projects
implemented where possible to the EPA. Bonlac is pleased to
have participated in the EPA Cleaner Production Demonstration
Project."
Llew Sandford
Technical Manager
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