inadequate use of freshwater are leading us to a nonrational and sustainable
development from an ecological point of view (N.R.W.C. Committee 1993;
Chapman 2006; Walsh et al. 2006). Health and well-being, food security, and
industrialization are other threatened areas, which are affecting ecosystems on
which all human beings depend. That is the reason why to secure a future, it is
necessary to have an effective management of water and soil resources.
Within the acceptable minimum ethics, it should be noted that the general
environment, including water resources in particular, is a heritage of mankind that
we have inherited, and that we must protect for future generations. Proper management must certainly rely on the three commonly accepted principles of solidarity, subsidiary, and participation (F.I. Report 2009).
Solidarity recognizes that all men have equal rights to participate in environmental and water resources; subsidiary states that can make a lower social group, it
is better than form a larger social group. Participation leads to the integration of
the different users in the management of the environment and its resources
(Sekoulov 2002).
In the agro-food industry, there is considerable water consumption due to the
different kinds of processes and unit operation in which water is involved (e.g.,
cleaning, cooling, pasteurizing, etc.). In addition to this, good water quality and
quantity are essential for food processing (Bazilian et al. 2011; Casani and
Knøchel 2002; Palumbo et al. 1997). On the other hand, large volumes of
wastewater are generated as a result of the need to use water in these processes.
For instance, in Germany, 30 m
3 of wastewater is generated per ton of frozen
carrot produced, 1.2 m
3 for apple juice, and 4.15 m
3 in beer production (Yang
et al. 2007). Therefore, wastewater treatment and water management are fundamental concerns to ensure water supply over the years.
Wastewater effluents are continuous when water input and output exists in the
different processes for food production. They can be derived from cooling and
heating systems (condensers, cooling towers, and boilers) or industry cleaning
processes (cleaning-in-place systems for the internal surface of pipes, vessels,
process equipment, filters, and other accessories). Discontinuous wastewater
effluents can also be generated from intermediate operations such as soaking, raw
material cleaning, scalding, etc., and are prone to be the most polluted. Wastewater
from the agro-food industry is characterized by high organic content, cleaning
agents, salts, and suspended solids. High levels of Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) as well as considerable seasonal
changes in flow and composition make their treatment difficult (Todd and
Josephson 1996). Costs associated with water are the result of an elevated consumption of high-quality water plus wastewater treatments and the cost of
wastewater disposal. Therefore, searching for profitable alternatives becomes
necessary in order to minimize consumption as well as searching for environmentally friendly wastewater treatment strategies, which will be determined by the
taxes applied to each effluent (Gray 2005). In the food and beverages industry,
effluent charges were the principal factor in inducing water polluters to invest in
biological wastewater technologies in the Netherlands (Casani and Knøchel 2002).
78
L. Pérez-Sánchez et al.
development from an ecological point of view (N.R.W.C. Committee 1993;
Chapman 2006; Walsh et al. 2006). Health and well-being, food security, and
industrialization are other threatened areas, which are affecting ecosystems on
which all human beings depend. That is the reason why to secure a future, it is
necessary to have an effective management of water and soil resources.
Within the acceptable minimum ethics, it should be noted that the general
environment, including water resources in particular, is a heritage of mankind that
we have inherited, and that we must protect for future generations. Proper management must certainly rely on the three commonly accepted principles of solidarity, subsidiary, and participation (F.I. Report 2009).
Solidarity recognizes that all men have equal rights to participate in environmental and water resources; subsidiary states that can make a lower social group, it
is better than form a larger social group. Participation leads to the integration of
the different users in the management of the environment and its resources
(Sekoulov 2002).
In the agro-food industry, there is considerable water consumption due to the
different kinds of processes and unit operation in which water is involved (e.g.,
cleaning, cooling, pasteurizing, etc.). In addition to this, good water quality and
quantity are essential for food processing (Bazilian et al. 2011; Casani and
Knøchel 2002; Palumbo et al. 1997). On the other hand, large volumes of
wastewater are generated as a result of the need to use water in these processes.
For instance, in Germany, 30 m
3 of wastewater is generated per ton of frozen
carrot produced, 1.2 m
3 for apple juice, and 4.15 m
3 in beer production (Yang
et al. 2007). Therefore, wastewater treatment and water management are fundamental concerns to ensure water supply over the years.
Wastewater effluents are continuous when water input and output exists in the
different processes for food production. They can be derived from cooling and
heating systems (condensers, cooling towers, and boilers) or industry cleaning
processes (cleaning-in-place systems for the internal surface of pipes, vessels,
process equipment, filters, and other accessories). Discontinuous wastewater
effluents can also be generated from intermediate operations such as soaking, raw
material cleaning, scalding, etc., and are prone to be the most polluted. Wastewater
from the agro-food industry is characterized by high organic content, cleaning
agents, salts, and suspended solids. High levels of Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) as well as considerable seasonal
changes in flow and composition make their treatment difficult (Todd and
Josephson 1996). Costs associated with water are the result of an elevated consumption of high-quality water plus wastewater treatments and the cost of
wastewater disposal. Therefore, searching for profitable alternatives becomes
necessary in order to minimize consumption as well as searching for environmentally friendly wastewater treatment strategies, which will be determined by the
taxes applied to each effluent (Gray 2005). In the food and beverages industry,
effluent charges were the principal factor in inducing water polluters to invest in
biological wastewater technologies in the Netherlands (Casani and Knøchel 2002).
78
L. Pérez-Sánchez et al.