Investigating Water and Wastewater Management in the South African Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Water Research Commission (WRC) has commissioned updated versions of national surveys (known popularly as the NASTURV reports) dealing with water and wastewater management within various industries. The NATSURVS were originally completed in the late 1980s and early 1990s and were used to determine minimum specific water intake requirements; protect downstream infrastructure and water sources; as well as to provide benchmarking criteria for academia, industry and regulators. The second edition of NATSURV 19 (Water and wastewater management in the fruit and vegetable processing industry) is due to be published in 2021 and will draw heavily on this study and related work. The aim of this study, therefore, is to perform a national survey of water and wastewater management within the fruit and vegetable processing industry. The quality and scope of which should be suitable for inclusion in the updated version of NATSURV 19. \nThe research processes commenced with an in-depth literature review, with much attention being given to the economic structure of the fruit and vegetable processing industry. This was done to facilitate a more focused selection of key sub-sectors later in the study. Another key component of the literature review was careful documentation of all available methods of reducing water use in food processing, and more specifically, in the processing of fruits and vegetables. \nThe actual survey process began an application for ethical clearance with the Stellenbosch University research ethics committee (REC), with the actual approval being granted on the 28th of January 2019. The building of an industry database then commenced using a combination of internet research, industry databases and referrals. The operational status of all 78 facilities were thereafter telephonically verified. An internet-based survey was then made available to designated persons within each facility. During the period in which the internet-based survey was available, site-visits to selected facilities were performed. The site-visits included a walk-through audit as well an interview with persons having in-depth knowledge of the processes involved. The data obtained via the internet-based surveys and site-visits was subjected to Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) using the ATLAS.ti 9 analytic platform. Water consumption and effluent quality parameters were also critically evaluated and compared to the available literature. \nAnalysis revealed that some of the facilities reported SWI figures comparable or better than that of their international counterparts. In addition to this, some facilities did perform well in relation to the specific water intakes (SWIs) established for certain products in the original 1987 NATSURV, indicating at least anecdotally an improvement in water-use efficiency over the last three decades. The QDA revealed, in general, that raw material washing and facility cleaning were the main consumers of water within surveyed facilities. It was also noted that improvements in water efficiency in the South African FVPI are not only motivated by desire for environmental protection or drought risk, but also for financial reasons. By improving the water efficiency of the processes, savings related to water consumption and effluent disposal could be achieved. With regards to wastewater management, it was discovered that advanced treatments are not generally practiced within the industry, possibly due to the extended pay-back periods associated with the capital expenditure. Only three of the 19 facilities included in the final sample practiced advanced/tertiary treatment. The nature of the immediate surroundings was the primary factor in determining the effluent disposal technique. Rural settings most commonly saw irrigation as the preferred disposal route, whilst urban environments provided the means for discharge into municipal wastewater systems. \nThe study achieved the aim of providing information and recommendations suitable for the updated NATSURV 19. The investigation has provided a sample of current water and wastewater management practices in the industry, and therefore, future work should seek to focus on individual facilities and the optimisation of processes within them.
Author: Pierre John Volschenk
Language: English
Subfield: Waste Management and Disposal
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Universiteit Stellenbosch
OpenAlex ID: W3147072185