Variability of dairy wastewater characteristics in Piatnica – one of the largest and most advanced milk processing plants in Poland

The problem of industrial wastewater treatment from food processing, including dairy, is not completely solved. The aim of this study was to determine the variability of dairy sewage characteristics in one of the largest and most advanced milk processing plants in Piatnica, East-North Poland and review the opportunities for biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. The study was conducted in the milk processing plant and WWTP in 2016 and 2017. The ratio of organic compounds for biogenic compounds in dairy wastewater were determined. During the two year study period there were no instances when the ratio of organic compounds for total phosphorus in Piatnica raw wastewater was lower than 25 gBOD5·gP-1. This indicates that in modern and innovative milk processing plants there are no instances when the amount of organic matter in dairy sewage is insufficient to remove phosphorus below 1.0 mgP·dm-3