Emmi Roth ups sustainability commitment with new wastewater treatment technology

ADI Systems, owned by Evoqua Water Technologies Corp., is aiming for “substantial completion”​ of the 1 MG ADI-BVF anaerobic unit in June 2018 for use at Emmi Roth’s Platteville, Wisconsin, cheese plant where it produces cheeses including Gouda, havarti, Buttermilk Blue, and Roth Grand Cru Surchoix.

Emmi Roth established concrete sustainability objectives in 2012 including a 25% reduction in CO₂​ emissions and 20% reduction in production waste by 2020.

According to the company’s 2017 sustainability report, an analysis of four milk processing sites (two of which were Emmi facilities) found an average food loss of 8.3%, with 39% occurring during the wastewater process.

The anaerobic treatment technology is well suited for dairy wastewater treatment, according Evoqua, as the cheese-making process naturally produces biogas, which the system can harness and convert into renewable energy.

The 1 MG ADI-BVF anaerobic unit can also treat moderate-to-high concentrations of organic compounds, suspended solids, and fat, oil, and grease (FOG) in a single stage and typically without the need for primary treatment, according to Evoqua.