Water reuse in industrial food processing

While water, as an industrial commodity, is considered increasingly as a valuable material and the subject of responsible care for the environment, water reuse is increasingly regarded as a tool for substantial reduction in water supply needs, and saving in related costs. A strategic approach to water reuse must be based on a systematic analysis and on the principle that any water user must never use more water of a higher quality than strictly needed. In this paper some hints are given for implementing water reuse in the food processing industry, particularly referring to the practical case of tomato processing for which a case study is also reported. The results clearly show how remarkable environmental and economic advantages can be simply obtained by implementing low investment cost solutions, and that water supply and discharge flow rates can be dramatically reduced without implementing any special water upgrading treatment process.