Sustainability is a subject on many lips today. The poultry industry is making many efforts to tackle this issue and comes up with various solutions concerning energy saving, CO2 footprint, food safety, traceability and water use. For responsible water use, Marel Poultry offers solid practical solutions. One clear example of this is the Mazzraty poultry processing plant in Qatar, equipped with a well-thought-out water management system.

Chicken production has a naturally low carbon footprint and requires a limited number of resources, such as fertilizer, land and water. Using 2,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilo of chicken meat, poultry production needs a fairly modest amount of water. For comparison, 1 kilo of chocolate uses 17,000 liters of water.

Water isn’t lost

Water use, however, doesn’t mean water is lost. Recycling options are available to treat the water and make it fit for renewed use. Mazzraty in Qatar called in the help of Marel Water Treatment to set up today’s most modern water treatment installation. This poultry facility is located in the desert, where nothing grows, so Mazzraty is highly aware of the importance of clean water in these circumstances.

Treatment

Water treatment starts in the poultry processing plant. All water used for transport, cleaning and the various stages of processing is collected and drained to the wastewater treatment facilities. In the first phase, the physical pretreatment takes out fat material and larger coarse parts. After that, the biological process in a big basin decomposes the pollution and converts it to biological sludge and purified water.

Irrigation

Immediately surrounding Mazzraty’s poultry processing plant are four large green circles in the middle of the yellow sand. This is irrigated land, made fertile with the help of Mazzraty’s treated water. Besides being used for truck washing, the purified water is an excellent fit for irrigation of areas that are otherwise arid. Mazzraty manages to drive four center pivot systems with this recycled water to irrigate four quarter sections (each 800 by 800 meters). The company mainly grows grass, which it can use in its feed mills.

Lowest impact

Mazzraty’s facility has been designed to not waste or leave behind residual material and all activities aim at causing the lowest possible impact on the environment. The reuse of cleaned wastewater from the factory as irrigation water is part of Mazzraty’s bigger environmental plan, which also involves a reduced CO2 emission and production of its chicken feed. In this way, Mazzraty demonstrates one of the most sustainable ways of working in the poultry industry. NP

Visit www.marel.com/water-treatment for more information.