Water & Wastewater Treatment

16 | august 2014 | WWt | www.wwtonline.co.uk the process allows the factory to use about 300m 3 more water per day Project focus: Wyke Farms 2040, which if nothing else will almost certainly make it more expensive. Sure, the most recent winter was very wet, but we view this as demonstrable proof of climate change. There will be more extreme weather patterns to come; dry periods followed by deluges with a lot of run-off. In addition, average temperatures are set to rise by up to 4°C in the next 20 years. This will increase summer evaporation rates by 80%, with the obvious adverse effect on the water table." Wyke Farms has been producing its award-winning cheddar in the lush pastures of the Mendip Hills for over a century, in the process becoming the fastest growing Cheddar brand in the UK. This £1.3 million investment in the wastewater recovery plant is part of the company's £10 million long-term sus- tainability plan, called '100% Green'. "All manufacturers are going to have to start viewing the way they use water completely differently," concludes Clothier. "Supplies are beginning to fluctuate dramatically and, like all fac- tories, we can't operate without water. Making ourselves self-sufficient is not only better for the environment but it makes the business far more robust going forward. For further reading on wastewater recovery visit wwtonline.co.uk flushing or discharge to the river. Alternatively, when the factory requires recovered water, tertiary treat- ment begins with transfer of UF perme- ate to the RO system. Water is driven through two stages of RO membranes to produce an ultra-clean permeate stream which is transferred to a recov- ered water tank via a UV disinfection unit. The system, which was installed by Wyke Farms' own project engineers, is currently producing around 300,000 litres of potable water per day. It is designed to be maintenance-free – the only consumables are the membrane filters with an expected life of around 10 years. "Construction took around 12 months from start to finish," says Clothier. "There was a lot of building work and pipework, not to mention electrical installation [the civils were provided by Dunford Construction]. It's fair to say there was a fair bit of disrup- tion in the changeover period, although this was minimised because we built the new plant room right beside our old activated sludge facility." The good news is that the waste- water recovery plant will ultimately reduce water consumption by 70%. At peak, it is estimated that it will treat up to 750,000 litres of water per day, and recover 525,000 litres for re-use, offering a certain amount of future- proofing for the company. Furthermore, the closed-loop approach is far more sustainable than additional water extraction or tankering-in more mains water. "We're able to use about 300m³ of extra water extra per day because of this plant," says Clothier. "It also saves the amount that we're drawing from boreholes. At maximum output the plant can recover up to 525m³ every day, which would make us more than self-sufficient. I view what we've cre- ated as a permanent fix." At present, Wyke Farms is reusing about 60% of its wastewater via the new plant. However, in the spring, when milk levels are high, this will climb a lot higher. In the future, the company even envisages a time when no clean water is discharged to the river, using it instead for irrigation or to fill drought ponds. Located in rural Somerset near the village of Bruton, water has long been an issue for Wyke Farms. What's more, pressure from customers to show climate change resilience has added to the need for a strategy switch. "We see water as a finite resource," says Clothier. "The EA predicts that do- mestic water demand will rise 30% by "at maximum output the plant can recover up to 525m 3 every day, which would make us more than self-sufficient. I view what we've created as a permanent fix" Rich Clothier Wyke Farms MD • Perspectives the plant "We've worked with Brian Rebbeck Technical Services for many years and the company was a natural choice for this project. They planned the entire plant and selected Aquabio technology a er close consultation with our own team of project engineers. The knowl- edge and professional- ism of Brian Rebbeck Technical Services has stood this project in good stead. With hind- sight, I only wish we'd done it sooner." Rich Clothier, managing director, Wyke Farms the supplier "I've known the Clothier family for around 25 years – I worked with Rich's father John origi- nally. Hats off to Wyke Farms, they've really taken the plunge and are truly flying the green banner. The wastewater recovery plant epitomis- es what they stand for and is a good example of how engineering can help overcome the challenges presented by climate change." Brian Rebbeck, owner, Brian Rebbeck Technical Services

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