EVALUATION OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FROM MILK PRODUCTION

PROCESS IN PT. GREENFIELDS INDONESIA

Noviani Ima Wantoputri1 dan Prayatni Soewondo2
Environmental Engineering Program Study
Faculty of Civil and Environment Engineering , Bandung Institute of Technology
Jl. Ganesha No. 10 Bandung, 40132
1
noviani.iw@gmail.com dan 2prayatnisoe@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Milk Industry is one kind of food and beverage industries that has high potency to develop
fast in Indonesia. In every activities of production process, there will be produced waste as
unwanted product from the manufacture process. Wastewater is one of the biggest waste
produced in milk production process in PT. Greenfields Indonesia with flowrate 200 m3/day .
This wastewater must be treated so can fulfill the governments quality standard for milk
industry and safe for the environment when disposed . The parameter in government
regulation in line with quality standard of the wastewater from milk production process based
on Governor Regulation No. 72 year 2013 include pH, BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand),
COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), and TSS (Total Suspended Solids). The main wastewater
treatment in the company are using anaerobic process, aerobic process and membrane
bioreactor (MBR). Evaluation of wastewater treatment from milk production process is done
with the goal to know the effectifity of the treatment in removing the biodegradable pollutant
cotain in wastewater. The results of evaluation show that with those three methods,
PT.Greenfields Indonesia is success in removing the biodegradable pollutant with effeciency
98,9% for BO;, 95,8% for TSS; 99% for COD, and the effluent quality have fullfiled the
quality standar regulated by the government .
Key words : milk wastewater, membrane bioreactor, aerobic process, anaerobic process

INTRODUCTION
PT. Greenfields Indonesia is an
industry that produce fresh milk from their
own dairy farm. In every activities of
production process, there will be produced
milk wastewater as the biggest waste
produced by the company. Most of the
wastewater comes from the CIP (Cleaning
In Place) which is a cleaning process
automatically for the machine production
process using cold water, hot water, acid
solution and caustic soda. The wastewater
must be treated well first until fulfill the

requirements of the quality standard that

made by governnmet so it can be safe for
the environment. The government
regulation that become reference in the
wastewater
treatment
from
milk
production process is based on Governor
Regulation No. 72 year 2013 about
Wastewater
of Milk Industry. PT.
Greenfields
Indonesia
has
high
commitment in saving the environment by
doing the wastewater treatment from milk
production process, so the effulent has
fulfilled the quality standard and safe for
environment.

EXISTING CONDITION

anaerobic process, aerobic process,

Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and filter
press for the sludge treatment. The process
flow shown in the Figure 1. There are
three treatment units in companies WWTP
that use the biology treatment. They are
anaerobic process, aerobic process and
submerged MBR.

Most of wastewater produced by

the company is from CIP process, and few
from spilled milk and whey from the
cheese. The company produced the
wastewater with various and fluctuative
flowrate. But, every day the flowrate of the
wastewater is about 200m3/day. The
characteristic of the wastewater from milk
production process contain fat, has high
COD, BOD and TSS and various pH. If
the wastewater disposed directly to the
environment without any treatment, it will
make water pollution because not fulfill
the governmet regulation yet that is
Governor Regulation No. 72 year 2013
about Wastewater of Milk Industry. In that
regulation the effluent parameter that must
be fulfilled are pH, BOD, COD and TSS.

The goal of the anaerobic process

is to degrade the fat contain in milk
wastewater biologically, decrease the
temperature and normalize the pH. The
next process after anaerobic is aerobic
process that done in seven in aerobic unit
in series using aerobic bacteria. The last
treatment is submerged MBR treatment
with three tanks where in each of tank
contain 100 membranes. In this reactor, the
aerobic bacteria grow up by suspended
growth to degrade the biodegradable
pollutant and the membrane that has 0,050,1 in pore have function to separate the
effluent from its solids with the dead end
flow. The picture of anaerobic unit,
aerobic unit and submerged MBR shown
in Figure 2.

The wastewater treatment from

milk production process in PT. Greenfields
Indonesia is done in the Waste Water
Treatment Plant (WWTP) with 500 m3 /
day int design capacity. The treatmet
processes done are screening, equalization,

INLET

BAR SCREEN GREASE TRAPPING

ANAEROBIC
UNIT (1,2,3, & 4)
EQUALIZATION UNIT (1,2,
& 3)

OUTLET
MBR

AEROBIC UNIT
(1 7)

Filter Press for Excess Sludge

Return Sludge
(7th Areobic unit)

Figure 1. Flow Diagram Process of Wastewater Treatment From Milk Production Process
in PT. Greenfields Indonesia

(a)

(b)

(c)

Figure 2. anaerobic unit (a) , aerbic unit (b), MBR (c)

ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

The
wastewater from milk
production process in PT. Greenfields
Indonesia will be flown to the WWTP for
treatment process so the effluent can be
fulfilled the quality standard suitable with
the Governor Regulation No. 72 year 2013
about Wastewater of Milk Industry.
The evaluation of wastewater
treatment from milk production process in
PT. Geenfields Indonesia is done by
analising each of treatment units, the
fulfillment of design criteria, the efficiency
of the treatment and also the distribution of
treated water (effluent). One of the main
unit in wastewater treatment from milk
production process is anaerobic process
which degrade fat contain in waste water
But this anerobic process is not effective
yet baecause when maintenance process
done much fat still not degrade yet. That
can be caused by the bacteria, that is not in
effective and suitable environment and
also the lack of nutrition. Before the
anaerobic process, the waste water from
milk production process is equalized with
equalization
processin
order
to
homogenize the concentration and pH of
waste water. The design criteria of
detention time in equalization unit with
mixing is 2 hours. Meanwhile from the
calculation of the detention time in rst
equalization unit is 12, 87 hours. In first

equalization unit has been palced agitator

for mixing so it has ben suitable with the
design criteria. But, in the second
equalization unit the detention time is 5, 04
hours and there is no mixing so it is not
suitable with the criteria design.
The design criteria for DO
(Dissolved Oxygen) in aerobic unit and
also in MBR is 2 mg/L. But, from the data
in WWTP show that the value of DO in
aerobic unit and MBR is less than 2 mg/L
and not suitable with the design criteria.
Because the DO is less than 2 mg/L, the
degradation process is not well done and
noticed with the formation of white foam
floated in aerobic unit and MBR surface.
In MBR, operational standard for the
MLVSS is 4.000 mg/L 16.000 mg/L and
that standard has been suitable with the
measuring data in WWTP. The removal
efficiency of the waste water in
companies WWTP is very good with the
average efficiency of each paramaeter is >
95%. The removal efficiency for COD is
99,3% ; BOD is 98,9%; and TSS is 95,8%.
For pH parameter is also suitable with
regulation between 6 9. From the
efficiency, by the anaerobic process,
aerobic process and also MBR, the
wastewater
treatment
from
milk
production process is effective enough in
remove the biodegradable pollutant and
fulfill the Governor Regulation No. 72
year 2013 about Wastewater of Milk

Industry. The quality standard fulfillment

shown in

Figure3. The effluent from wastewater

treatment will be disposed to the river.

COD (mg/L)
1

Bulan Pengujian
Baku Mutu (mg/L)

(a) pH parameter

COD Outlet (mg/L)

(b) COD parameter

COD Inlet 'JASA TIRTA'!$D$13:$D$17

10
8
6
4
pH
2
0

pH
Baku Mutu
Baku Mutu

42036 42095
42005 42064 42125

(c) BOD parameter (d) TSS parameter

Bulan Pengujian

40
BOD (mg/L) 20
0

TSS (mg/L)
1

BOD outlet (mg/L)

TSS outlet (mg/L)

Baku Mutu (mg/L)

Baku Mutu (mg/L)

BOD Outlet (mg/L)

TSS outlet (mg/L)

Figure 3. The Graph of parameter measurement in January May 2015

CONCLUSION
Most of the waste water from the
milk production process in PT Greenfields
Indonesia, comes from CIP (Clean In
Place) process and few are from spilled
milk and also whey from the chesse
process. The wastewater treatment
procedure in PT. Greenfields Indonesia are
screening, first equalization process,

second
equalization
process,
third
equalization process, anaerobic process,
aerobic process and also MBR (Membrane
Bioreactor).
The parameter that become
reference of the company in treating the
waste water from milk production process
is based on Governor Regulation No. 72
year 2013 about Wastewater of Milk

Industry. The paramater that should be

fulfilled are pH, BOD, COD and TSS. The
quality standard for pH is 6-9, BOD is 30
mg/L, COD is 90 mg/L and TSS is
25mg/L.
The wastewater treatment process
that done has been effective in fulfill
quality standard of the governments
SUGGESTION
1. In the wastewater treatment from milk
production process should be used more
effective grease trap like GRD (Grease
Recovery Devices) to catch the fat
contain in wastewater more . By that
devices, the fat load that have to be
degradated by bacteria can be less in
amount so the treatment will be more
effective.
2. In the second equalization unit shoud be
added agitator for mixing and also
bubble diffuser for supplying more
oxygen so the pH, concentration and
also temperature of the wastewater will
be can be homogeneous.

regulation. But the main problem faced by

the wastewater treatment is the anaerobic
bacteria that less effevtive in degrading the
contain in waste water from milk
production process. Beside that, the DO in
aerobic and also MBR is less than 2 mg/L
or not suitable with criteria standard yet.
3. Need the addition of bubble diffuser in
aerobic unit so can increase the DO
with minimal value is 2 mg/L.
4. The gas that emited from the anaerobic
process shoul be tested in order to know
the possibility of the methane (CH 4)
produced so can be useful for biogas
production.
5. The effuent or treated water from the
treatment process should not be
disposed in the river directly because it
can be used again so the clean
production shoud be implemented. The
example is the treated water can be used
to flushing the diary farm.

REFERENCES
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(2013) :115-122
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Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L., and Stensel, H.D. 2003.
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