NIJHUIS SAUR INDUSTRIES
CLOSING THE WATER LOOP
Powered by Inside Food & Drink
insidefoodanddrink.com
NIJHUIS SAUR INDUSTRIES
I PROFILE
Nijhuis Saur Industries is a global company, founded in 1904 in the Netherlands. As part of the Saur group, it provides solutions for sustainable water use and resource recovery for industries, utilities and commercial buildings. Since the inception of Saur’s Industrial Water platform in 2019, more than 12 companies have been successfully acquired and integrated into one global operating company supporting municipal and industrial clients in over 140 countries with engineering and consultancy services, EPC/DBFOM project execution, mobile water solutions and O&M site services. This includes a pioneering water reduction and reuse project at the Cedrob poultry processing plant in Poland. Hannah Barnett spoke to Process & Commissioning Engineer Arek Stachurski and Key Account Manager Marcin Wielgopolan to learn more. 186 Inside food & drink
2009, Nijhuis Saur Industries won
IN
a vast scale. Next to operating three slaugh-
a contract to deliver a full-scale
terhouses with a total annual capacity of
wastewater treatment (WWTP)
150 million chickens and 900,000 geese, it
and biogas plant to the Cedrob meat pro-
also hatches 160 million eggs and produces
cessing facility. The WWTP is designed to
720,000 tonnes of animal fodder per year.
treat different types of wastewater from
This all takes place on a site of 1.4 million
Cedrob’s slaughterhouse and cutup line,
square metres in Ujazdówek, Poland.
and to clean water from the poultry farms.
The first phase of WWTP included a
Nijhuis Saur Industries is the total WWTP
wide range of Nijhuis Saur Industries tech-
and biogas solution provider, taking care of
nologies, varying from filtration, coagulation
technological and civil designs, equipment supply, installation and commissioning. The intention is to conserve water as much as possible in response to increasing water shortages, whilst maintaining the Cedrob’s slaughter production and ambitious growth plans – and to move towards a closed loop system. Treating Cedrob’s wastewater is no mean feat. The company processes poultry on
Inside food & drink 187
NIJHUIS SAUR INDUSTRIES
I PROFILE
and flocculation, dissolved air flotation and
Commissioning Engineer Arek Stachurski
an aerobic treatment system, all of which
recalled. “2016 was the second phase –
meet river water discharge standards.
when Cedrob invested in the next line of the slaughterhouse – and we extended the
Innovative facilities
wastewater system, doubling the capacity
The Nijhuis Saur Industries collaboration
of the first phase.”
with Cedrob encompasses five phases and stretches over 14 years; evidence of the robust relationship between the two companies. “Our history with Cedrob is a long story,” Key Account Manager Marcin Wielgopolan said, “because we started working with them in 2009, when the site was just a field. And we are still working with them on a daily basis.” Work really began a decade ago when phase one, the wastewater treatment plant, was developed. “It was just a water preparation system at that time, rather than a water reuse station,” Process &
188 Inside food & drink
The third phase involved developing
with the wastewater. Then that wastew-
a rendering system where waste from pro-
ater is returned to the treatment plant
duction is converted into feed for animals.
to be cleaned again, so, it comes back
Phase four created a reuse system for the
as part of the loop.”
water, and phase five developed wastewater treatment for the rendering system.
Success and recognition
“It's complicated and we have so many
Nijhuis Saur Industries' innovative work
phases because Cedrob has developed
has been recognised by the Stena Circular
a lot, and so have we,” said Mr Stachurski.
Economy Award: a highly respected prize
“They are a true customer for life”.
for organisations seen to be making a significant contribution to the circular economy.
A significant step
“We were quite surprised when we
Complex though each phase may be,
received this award, but are very happy
the phase four installation of a water reuse
about it,” Mr Wielgopolan said.
station was an especially key milestone. The
The Nijhuis Saur Industries operation was
game-changing system not only reduces
commended for leadership and innovation,
water consumption, but also enables the
and for creating a sustainable solution at
reuse of wastewater, thus contributing to
Cedrob that benefits both the environment
the conservation of natural resources and
and the business.
reducing the overall environmental impact of the plant. Operational since 2019, the facility is one of the largest industrial water reuse solutions in the world. “We have reused around 3.5 million cubic metres of water at Cedrob,” Mr Stachurski said. “It’s happening on an enormous scale. We reuse around 4,000 cubic metres per day. The water is ultra clean and must be mixed with the borehole water. After that, it becomes certified as drinking water quality.” The system is currently 61% efficient, meaning the 4,000 cubic metres reused each day come from a total of around 6,500 produced: and the system is moving towards a fully closed loop. “Our flow back includes some concentrates,” Mr Stachurski explained. “Part of these concentrates are mixed
Inside food & drink 189
NIJHUIS SAUR INDUSTRIES
I PROFILE
from the wastewater treatment plant is used in the fields to fertilise the corn, which makes the feed for the chickens. So, in general, it's a real example of putting the circular economy in practice.” Of course, such a complex system requires support and maintenance, and Nijhuis Saur Industries provides a so-called ‘babysitter’ to the site. This is an engineer who works at the plant, overseeing its operation and supervising the process. “Cedrob is an extremely green project,”
“Cedrob is open minded about new
Mr Stachurski added. “As well as re-using
technologies, new solutions, optimisation,
the water, we also recycle energy as biogas
R&D and all of that,” said Mr Wielgopolan.
and put it back into the slaughterhouse to
“This is very important, because our engi-
be used instead of natural gas. So, we cut
neer on site can monitor all the products
the natural gas bill for the site as well as
that we have and provide insights to the
reducing its CO2 footprint. And the sludge
customer about what is possible.”
190 Inside food & drink
The successful scheme, (and profitable
so dynamic. Is this sort of problem solving
relationship between Nijhuis Saur Industries
what excites Mr Stachurski most about
and Cedrob), looks set to continue.
getting to the office in the morning? “I love this job because I do not have to
Future solutions
go to an office every day,” he said. “In fact,
Cedrob is far from Nijhuis Saur Industries’
every day is different, especially out in the
only high-profile client. The company is
field. I’ve been working for Nijhuis Saur
also working on a water recycling station
Industries since 2010 and have never con-
for cosmetics behemoth L’Oréal. Unlike
sidered changing employer because every
Cedrob, this is not a system born out of
day there is a new challenge for me. And
necessity caused by water shortages:
I think the work we do is very important
it exists because the cosmetics industry
referring to our #MissionWater purpose:
wants to start embracing truly sustain-
give water back the value it deserves. With
able solutions.
our unique Customer for Life approach, we
“L’Oréal is engaging in many programmes
protect water resources, contribute to the
designed to decrease its environmental
water-, energy- and food transition, and
footprint,” explained Mr Stachurski. “As a
help to restore and close the water loop.”n
result, it invested heavily in a water recycling station to show that large companies can, and will, make a difference. The big players in the sector are really interested in water reuse, though it is a challenge for us, as wastewater from the cosmetics industry can be difficult to treat.” However, it is navigating challenges that keep the work Nijhuis Saur Industries do
Inside food & drink 191