The Jamaican coffee, especially the Blue Mountain coffee is considered by many in the international market as the best in the world. Coffee production is very important to the Jamaican economy as it provides employment for about 60,000 persons and is the fourth most important agricultural crop.
Coffee processing in Jamaica uses a lot of water as the wet processing method of pulping is used. Most pulperies are situated near rivers, which provide the water for processing and also act as a receiving body for the wastewater. As production increases, the rivers become stressed and are no longer able to cope with the effluent load. The project with the coffee industry involved assessment of the pulpery operation, characterization of the wastewater, quantification of the water use and pilot plant studies to identify the most suitable treatment technology for the effluent.
Assessment of the pulpery operation revealed several areas where water use could be drastically minimized, such as, the use of water as transportation to the pulpers and aquapulpers. Areas for recycling were identified, such as the water which covers the beans before transportation to final processing. This water could be reused at the pulpers. With these measures in place, the water use could be cut to 1/3 its present volume. To date the transportation water has been reduced but no recycling has taken place. Pilot plant studies were carried out at one of the pulperies. The results showed that the anaerobic technology was most suitable for coffee wastewater in Jamaica. the factors which led to this conclusion included the warm climate, operation and maintenance costs, economic climate, usable energy generation, space availability, operator skill level and technology manageability. The pilot plant project was successful in proving that the coffee wastewater can be treated with the anaerobic technology to reach the discharge standards.
Treatment Of Wastewater From The Coffee Industry
The Jamaican coffee, especially the Blue Mountain coffee is considered by many in the international market as the best in the world. Coffee production is very important to the Jamaican economy as it provides employment for about 60,000 persons and is the fourth most important agricultural crop.
Coffee processing in Jamaica uses a lot of water as the wet processing method of pulping is used. Most pulperies are situated near rivers, which provide the water for processing and also act as a receiving body for the wastewater. As production increases, the rivers become stressed and are no longer able to cope with the effluent load. The project with the coffee industry involved assessment of the pulpery operation, characterization of the wastewater, quantification of the water use and pilot plant studies to identify the most suitable treatment technology for the effluent.
Assessment of the pulpery operation revealed several areas where water use could be drastically minimized, such as, the use of water as transportation to the pulpers and aquapulpers. Areas for recycling were identified, such as the water which covers the beans before transportation to final processing. This water could be reused at the pulpers. With these measures in place, the water use could be cut to 1/3 its present volume. To date the transportation water has been reduced but no recycling has taken place. Pilot plant studies were carried out at one of the pulperies. The results showed that the anaerobic technology was most suitable for coffee wastewater in Jamaica. the factors which led to this conclusion included the warm climate, operation and maintenance costs, economic climate, usable energy generation, space availability, operator skill level and technology manageability. The pilot plant project was successful in proving that the coffee wastewater can be treated with the anaerobic technology to reach the discharge standards.