The bioreactor produces clean water by biodigestion and reverse osmosis.
Kanes became the first food plant in Europe to recycle treated waste water on a large scale to produce high-quality, potable water when it installed its first bioreactor in 2001, said supplier Aquabio.
The new, ‘next-generation’ wastewater treatment plant, will provide significant energy savings compared to the original plant, claimed Aquabio, which has several other food industry clients in the UK and the US, including Unilever and General Mills.
At Unilever's Burton factory, which makes Marmite and Bovril, Aquabio tied up with Biothane Systems to create the UK's first plant combining an anaerobic reactor, a membrane bioreactor and a reverse osmosis system for high-strength waste water treatment and reuse.