Renovation of used water from poultry processing plants

A process for the treatment of effluent water from a chiller tank of a poultry processing plant to provide product water suitable for reuse in said plant, which comprises the steps:

• treating said effluent water with a strong oxidant selected from the group consisting of chlorine, potassium permanganate, ozone and chlorine dioxide to oxidize color of said effluent and destroy bacteria;
• treating said effluent water with a pH-adjusting agent selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid to achieve a pH of less than about 3.0.+-.0.5 pH units to break oils and greases and to form a floc in said effluent water;
• separating a water phase from said floc;
• and
• readjusting the pH of said water phase after separation from said floc to about that of make up water for said plant with a soluble hydroxide for reuse of said water phase in said plant.

A process for the treatment of effluent water from a poultry processing plant chiller tank to provide product water suitable for reuse in said chiller tank, which comprises the steps:

• intimately treating said effluent water with chlorine and with sulfuric acid to oxidize constituents in said effluent and adjust the pH of said effluent water to 3.0.+-.0.5 units to form a floc containing impurities in said effluent water;
• intimately mixing with said effluent water, after said oxidation and pH adjustment to form said floc, an anionic polymer to enhance formation of said floc;
• separating a water phase from said floc/water product of said polymer mixing with dissolved air flotation;
• and
• readjusting the pH of said water phase from said flotation separating step to about that of chiller tank make up water with sodium hydroxide.