Water reuse in industrial food processing

While water, as an industrial commodity, is considered increasingly as a va luable material and the subject of responsible care for the environment, wa ter reuse is increasingly regarded as a tool for substantial reduction in w ater supply needs, and saving in related costs. A strategic approach to water reuse must be based on a systematic analysis and on the principle that any water user must never use more water of a hig her quality than strictly needed. In this paper some hints are given for implementing water reuse in the food processing industry, particularly referring to the practical case of tomat o processing for which a case study is also reported. The results clearly show how remarkable environmental and economic advantag es can be simply obtained by implementing low investment cost solutions, an d that water supply and discharge flow rates can be dramatically reduced wi thout implementing any special water upgrading treatment process.