Process for enhanced fractionation of recovered waste streams

A method for recovering fractions from an animal rendering process wastewater stream, said method comprising:

• collecting the wastewater stream from an animal rendering facility;
• screening the wastewater stream with a screening device having a sieve size, said screening separating solids having a particle size larger than said sieve size from the wastewater stream;
• conditioning the wastewater stream with a chemical conditioning agent, including at least one of a flocculating agent, a coagulating agent, an adsorbent agent, and a pH-adjusting agent;
• subsequent to conditioning the wastewater stream, applying a floatation process to the wastewater stream in a first retention tank to buoy contaminants toward a gravitationally upper surface of the wastewater stream to form a float region of contaminants;
• mechanically removing the float region of contaminants from the wastewater stream as collected skimmings;
• treating the collected skimmings at 15-90° C. with an effective amount of a non-ionic demulsifying surfactant to promote separation of the fractions from the collected skimmings, wherein the fractions include one or more of fat, oil, grease, and protein;
• and
• subsequent to treating the collected skimmings, mechanically separating the fractions from the collected skimmings.