EFFLUENT CONTAMINATION IN MEAT PROCESSING FIRMS

Effluent from meat processing firms is seriously contaminated with organic residues and bacteriological organisms. When 1000 kg of meat are cut up 100 to 150 g COD (chemical oxygen demand) are reached in the effluent and a further 10,000 to 13,000 g during further processing. In practice this is very much diluted with less contaminated effluent by adding water used at individual work stages. An average reduction in COD of about 80% is achieved in the fat separator by the separation of the fat and by microbiological activity, but the effluent taken off in the sewerage usually still has values of more than 2 g COD/1. A very recent study at the Frauenhofer Institute (KO-BALD and HOLLEY, 1990) has shown that for research and development purposes it is necessary to develop decentralized use methods (close to the process). In order to gain some impression of the situation in Berlin as regards the processing of meat (there is only a limited amount of slaughtering in Berlin), various small and medium-sized firms, mainly manufacturing sausage products, were examined.