EFFECTIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN
POULTRY PROCESSING OPERATIONS
Leroy Newswanger, Superintendent
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Victor F. Weaver, Inc.
New Holland, Pennsylvania 17557
Hans E. Zuern, Senior Service Engineer
Sheldon E. Lasda. Engineer
Industrial Chemicals Division
Allied Chemical Corporation
Solvay, New York 13209
INTRODUCTION
Commercial poultry processing operations in the United States have developed into a
large and sophisticated food processing industry. Gone are the days of walking to the
corner store to purchase a chicken to roast whole, or to dismember and boil or fry for
dinner. Today's industry produces a multitude of poultry products utilizing every part of
the bird except perhaps the cackle. The poultry industry provides the consumer with a
variety of products, including whole birds (fresh or frozen), luncheon meat preparations,
select portions (drumsticks, breasts, wings) and even chicken-based hot dogs.
To supply this variety of consumer products, the poultry processing operations have
evolved into a major facet of the food processing industry. Data presented in a recent
EPA publication indicates that about 6.4 billion kg (14 billion lb) of chicken will be
processed in the U.S. in 1979. These processing operations will require about 17 million
m   (4.4 billion gallons) of water. The quantity and composition of this wastewater,
generated from relatively small numerous processing plants in the southeastern and
southcentral states, has presented some major difficulties for the industry to overcome.
High BOD, suspended solids, grease, varying pH and wastewater flows must be treated;
present environmental standards require substantial treatment of such wastewater prior
to discharge.
Several alternatives exist as a means of handling poultry processing wastewater.
Discharge to the local municipal wastewater treatment facility may be possible, but may
also prove expensive. Present regulations require industry to participate not only in
sharing the cost of operating a municipal treatment plant, that is handling its waste, but
also to share in the capital cost of any new construction required to upgrade and/or
enlarge the municipal treatment plant.   In addition, the possibility also exists that the
poultry processor will be required to pretreat his waste prior to delivery to the municipal
treatment plant.
The Victor F. Weaver Corp. and their retained consulting engineers considered all these
problems and came up with a solution to the wastewater treatment problems at their New
Holland facility. The results of their efforts to determine a cost-effective treatment program for their wastewater is the subject of this chapter.
CASE HISTORY
Early in 1971, a study was made of the Victor F. Weaver Corp. wastewater situation
and it was determined that it would be more economical for the company to build and
operate its own treatment plant as compared to the cost of participating in the expansion
of the New Holland municipal wastewater treatment facility and paying a continuing
surcharge on high-strength wastewater.
Therefore in the summer of 1971 preliminary treatment began at the new V. F. Weaver
treatment plant site. The primary treatment system became operational later in the summer
of 1971, and over the following winter, the secondary and tertiary systems were put online.
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