Aerofloat was able to help Priestley’s Gourmet Delights install a custom fit wastewater solution for its ever-growing needs. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.
The founders of Australian wastewater treatment company, Aerofloat, envisioned a future where industrial and municipal wastewater challenges could be addressed by cutting-edge technology and sustainable solutions.
And in the years since its creation, the company has been doing exactly that.
The company’s journey is marked by a commitment to innovation. Its ground-breaking patented DAF technology was followed by custom wastewater treatment plant designs tailored to the unique needs of the food and beverage, dairy, and meat processing industries.
Aerofloat’s solutions are not only high performing, but also compact, easy to operate, and flexible, significantly reducing both capital and operational costs for clients.
Recently, Aerofloat completed a wastewater treatment plant for Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, a manufacturer known for producing high-quality desserts and pastries.
Founded in 1990, the company has established itself as a prominent player in the dessert industry, catering to both the retail and food service markets.
Priestley’s Gourmet Delights emphasises the use of high-quality ingredients and innovative recipes to create its unique and delicious desserts, and this philosophy also applies to the company’s choice of wastewater solutions.
Edi Amstad, maintenance manager, Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, was full of praise for Aerofloat and how the project was formatted and completed.
“It made sense to work with Aerofloat given their commitment to environmental sustainability,”
said Amstad.
“Sustainable operations are something we do and have been embedded across all functions across
the business.
“Aerofloat is also 100 per cent Australian-owned and operated, something the company shares with Priestley’s Gourmet Delights.”
Amstad said the major requirements of the wastewater treatment solution was that it would allow for the company’s future growth, while also addressing the current needs.
“We needed a system that would allow our business to grow. Aerofloat’s solution was flexible and could manage higher flows – we anticipated a growth trajectory of at least 50 per cent on the capacity of the existing system,”
said Amstad.
“Aerofloat’s system is comfortably treating wastewater flows of 45m3 and has capacity to treat up to 70m3 per day.
“Aerofloat also proposed a wastewater treatment solution that would allow us to meet higher loads and reduce our environmental footprint whilst meeting Queensland Urban Utilities’ water quality requirements for SS, FOG, and pH for discharge to sewer.”
Aerofloat kept in close contact with Priestley’s Gourmet Delights in the time leading up to the upgrade which ensured a good understanding of the company’s growth trajectory and needs.
This allowed Aerofloat’s engineers to advise Priestley’s Gourmet Delights on the best placement and wastewater treatment solution for the site.
With an eye towards meeting future demands if and when they would arise.
Aerofloat co-founder and general manager, Michael Anderson, said the client also had strict space requirements, an issue that Aerofloat has successfully overcome for multiple clients in recent years.
“Priestley’s Gourmet Delights wanted the trade waste plant to be detached from the main building, so we worked collaboratively with them to locate a suitable space behind the building that we could adapt to fit a customised solution, minimising the area footprint,” he said.
“The team at Priestley’s had difficult experiences with trade waste systems in the past with other suppliers, we wanted to prove that working with Aerofloat would be a positive and fruitful experience.”
Anderson said Priestley’s were conscious of keeping costs down and Aerofloat was able to achieve that
for them.
“Ultimately, we put the solution into a tight space, and because we were with the project from the beginning, we were able to make it neat with a lot of in ground services,” he said.
“For example, the connection between the station and trade waste plant and the discharge pipework are all in ground, so the plant itself is tidy to look at.
“We also had to ensure there was discharge to the other side of the manufacturing facility where the main sewer was located, presenting another suite of problems which we were able
to overcome.”
Once the designs were finalised, Aerofloat managed the construction and commissioning of the treatment plant, ensuring seamless integration with production on site.
Amstad echoes Anderson’s sentiments about the project meeting all the expectations of Priestley’s Gourmet Delights.
“Aerofloat installed a system including its AeroCirc DAF to treat incoming wastewater from the food production area,” said Amstad.
“The solution included influent flow balancing and automatic pH correction to ensure compliant effluent discharge.
“Our sewerage system was a long way from the designated wastewater treatment plant area, Aerofloat got around this problem by installing a pump to move the final treated effluent to sewer.”
To achieve this, the Aerofloat team worked closely with other stakeholders at the site, such as plumbers and engineers, to ensure a uniform system where applicable.
“Given there were pipelines we couldn’t control in the project, we kept in constant communication with all stakeholders to ensure these were built to our required specifications,” said Anderson.
“We tracked all the various other trades and engineering services throughout the project to make sure there are no surprises for the client.
“Our team did a great job of working with the client and as a result were able to deliver the project ahead of time.”
Amstad was also full of praise for Aerofloat’s engineers, who went above and beyond.
“We now have a system that can effectively treat our wastewater to ensure compliancy and meet business growth,” he said.
“An added benefit has been the support of Aerofloat’s engineers and technicians across the project; our team have been well trained in the system and understand the importance of an effective wastewater system.”
Aerofloat’s wastewater treatment solution also allowed Priestley’s Gourmet De-lights to meet higher loads and reduce its environmental footprint whilst meeting Queensland Urban Utilities’ water quality requirements for SS, FOG, and pH for discharge to sewer.
“Aerofloat’s team of engineers have also been readily available to support with any questions from us and have conducted regular testing and optimisations on site during the commissioning process and since,” said Amstad.
Aerofloat also provided ongoing servicing and remote monitoring services to guarantee the long-term performance of the system.
“Aerofloat ensured that we had a system that fit our needs, was performing well, and meeting the requirements of the Queensland Urban Utilities’ water regulations.
“If you are a business that wants to ensure a small environmental footprint and long-term sustainability,
choose Aerofloat.”