Wastewater pretreatment upgrade for a bottling plant

Project’s context & challenges

A bottling facility in Missouri operates two production lines and discharges all process and sanitation wastewater through five gravity‑fed lines: four from the main production building and one from the adjacent warehouse. All flows merge into a single manhole at the site entrance before entering the municipal sewer system and ultimately the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The existing pretreatment setup no longer aligns with the facility’s expanding production capacity nor with stricter discharge requirements. To support future growth, the plant required a reliable, high‑performance pretreatment system capable of handling peak flows, stabilizing effluent quality and ensuring continuous compliance.

To enable a transparent, like‑for‑like evaluation between suppliers, Aqua-Chem developed a revised technical proposal based on an Aerobic Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) design, aligned with the plant’s provided baseline performance criteria.

Customer benefits

Consistent, compliant effluent quality meeting the discharge permit requirements

Robust MBBR DAF configuration for variable loads and beverage industry wastewater

Reduced sludge volume through efficient thickening and screw press dewatering

Improved reliability and operational stability for all wastewater generated during processing and sanitation

Modular system design enabling easier installation and future expansion

Solution

Aqua-Chem, part of Nijhuis Saur Industries, proposes a complete MBBR‑based wastewater pretreatment system sized for 250,000 gpd peak flow. Wastewater is screened and pH‑adjusted before entering the equalization and MBBR stages. The biological effluent is clarified in a DAF unit, with sludge further dewatered using a screw press with polymer addition.

The system ensures that all wastewater produced at the facility is treated prior to discharge to the local publicly owned treatment works (POTW), reliably meeting permit values and safeguarding operational continuity.

Project’s context & challenges

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