TREATMENT OF BOTTLING PLANT WASTEWATER
WITH ROTATING BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS
Frederic C. Blanc, Associate Professor
James C. O'Shaughnessy, Associate Professor
Department of Engineering
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Charles H. Miller, Vice-President
Haley and Ward, Inc., Engineers
Waltham, Massachusetts 02154
INTRODUCTION
This investigation deals with the selection and design of pretreatment system for a
soft drink bottling plant, located in Millis, Massachusetts, and operated by the Cott
Corporation. The bottling plant operates on a 19 hour, two shift basis, five days per
week with additional operations scheduled seasonally to meet peak production requirements. The water using portion of the plant consists of two bottling lines and two can
lines which produce the bulk of the wastewater volume. In addition, there is a fifth
line operating intermittently which produces bottled water. Flavored syrup for the four
soft drink lines is prepared in a separate syrup room from which the syrup is pumped
to the production lines.
Wastewater is a combination of process water from spillage, blow-off of syrup lines
during flavor changes, lubrication water and routine floor and equipment rinsing. Additional wastewater is generated at the end of each day's production during plant wash
down periods. Another production source of wastewater is the can crusher, which is
used to empty and crush partially filled or otherwise unsaleable sealed cans. Process
wastewater is discharged to three drainage troughs which run the length of the manufacturing floor; these drains in turn discharge into a collection cross chain. Wastewater
passes through a manually cleaned screen for removal of paper labels, can lids and
bottle caps.
Wastewater from the syrup room and sanitary wastes from the manufacturing floor
are discharged through a pipe drain to a collecting manhole located outside the building.
Sanitary wastes from the remainder of the plant are collected and discharged through a
separate line to the aforementioned collecting manhole. Wastewater flows from the plant
range up to 100,000 gallons per day with the average daily flow on a yearly basis being
approximately 60,000 gallons per day.
Cooling water has been separated and is now discharged through drainage pipe lines
to the brook which is piped along the easterly wall of the building. The layout of the
various drainage systems are shown on Figure 1.
Results of hundreds of daily composite wastewater samples collected over several
years indicate that the wastewater has long term average BODs  of 2200 mg/l.
However, the typical short term average of BOD5   of 3500  mg/l is more
representative  for determining treatment requirements.  This organic loading is all
soluble with suspended solids concentrations on the order of 100 mg/l.    The organic
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