Sustainable wastewater assured

Aerofloat custom-fit a wastewater treatment solution for Priestley’s Gourmet Delights to ensure compliant effluent and keep up with business growth.

Australian-owned wastewater treatment company Aerofloat designs, manufactures, and installs wastewater and sewage treatment systems for a broad range of markets. It recently custom-fit a wastewater treatment solution for Queensland food manufacturer Priestley’s Gourmet Delights to manage business growth. The Queensland food manufacturer is known for producing high-quality desserts and pastries.

“Priestley’s Gourmet Delights was looking for a wastewater treatment solution that would meet increased wastewater flows,” said Michael Anderson, General Manager of Aerofloat. “Strict space requirements at the site meant that Priestley’s Gourmet Delights needed a compact treatment solution.

“We have made a name for ourselves across industries for meeting small space requirements without compromising quality.”

Aerofloat’s custom solutions combine its proprietary and patented technology with off-the-shelf products to address a wide range of industrial wastewater treatment needs.

Committed to innovation in wastewater treatment, Aerofloat’s ground-breaking technology can be integrated into wastewater treatment plant designs tailored to the specific needs of multiple industries, including food and beverage, pulp and packaging, plastics recycling, and leachate. Aerofloat’s solutions significantly reduce costs for its clients whilst being compact and easy to maintain and operate.

The Priestly project

Founded in 1990, Priestley’s Gourmet Delights is a prominent player in the dessert industry, catering to both the food service and retail markets.

The company emphasises using high-quality ingredients and innovative recipes to create unique and delicious desserts. This philosophy also applies to the company’s choice of wastewater solutions.

Edi Amstad, maintenance manager for Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, said Aerofloat was the obvious choice for the project and admired Aerofloat’s approach.

“It made sense to work with the team at Aerofloat, given their commitment to long-term 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 wastewater treatment solution’s major requirement was to allow for future growth at the company while addressing current business 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,” he said.

“Aerofloat’s system is comfortably treating wastewater flows of 45 cubic metres with the capacity to treat up to 70 cubic metres per day.

“Aerofloat also proposed a wastewater treatment solution that would allow us to meet higher loads and reduce our environmental footprint. We could also meet Urban Utilities’ water quality requirements for SS, FOG, and pH for discharge to sewer.”

Collaborating towards success

Aerofloat worked closely with Priestley’s Gourmet Delights before the project started, ensuring a strong understanding of the company’s needs and growth trajectory.

Keeping in close contact with the company allowed Aerofloat’s engineers to pinpoint the optimum placement for the on-site wastewater system, ensuring further growth could be accommodated in the future.

“Priestley’s Gourmet Delights also had strict space requirements, something Aerofloat has successfully overcome for multiple clients over the years,” said Anderson. “We worked collaboratively with Priestley’s Gourmet Delights to locate a suitable area behind the main building to which we could custom-fit a solution, ensuring a small space footprint.”

Aerofloat was also conscious of minimising costs for the company.

“The team at Priestley’s had had difficult experiences with trade waste systems with other suppliers in the past,” Anderson said. “We wanted to prove that working with Aerofloat would be a positive and rewarding experience. We were able to fit a 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 inground services. For example, the connection between the station and trade waste plant and the discharge pipework is all inground, giving the system a tidy finish.

“We were also able to overcome the added hurdle of space conflict, ensuring there was discharge to the other side of the manufacturing facility where the main sewer was located.”

Aerofloat designed, constructed, and commissioned the treatment plant to ensure seamless integration with on-site production.

Food waste solutions success

Amstad confirmed that the project met 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 good distance from the designated wastewater treatment plant area, Aerofloat navigated this issue by installing a pump to move the final treated effluent to sewer.”

Aerofloat’s engineers worked closely with other project stakeholders, such as plumbers and engineers, to ensure a collaborative and efficient project outcome.

“Given there were pipelines we couldn’t control in the project, we ensured fluid communication with all stakeholders so that the required specifications were met,” said Anderson.

“We tracked all the various other trades and engineering services throughout the project – the result was no surprises for the client.

“This collaboration and focus on communication mean that the project was delivered ahead of time.”

Amstad agreed that Aerofloat’s engineers pulled out all the stops to ensure a smooth project and finish.

“We now have a system that can effectively treat our wastewater to ensure compliance and meet business growth,” he said.

“An added benefit has been the support of Aerofloat’s team across the project. Our operators also understand the system well following comprehensive training sessions.”

The result has allowed Priestley’s Gourmet Delights to meet increased wastewater loads and decrease 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 on hand to support our team since the project finished and have conducted regular testing and optimisations on site to ensure ongoing compliance with Queensland Urban Utilities’ requirements,” said Amstad.

Aerofloat also provided ongoing monitoring services and onsite servicing to guarantee the system’s long-term performance.

“Aerofloat has given us a system that fits our needs, is performing well, and meets the Queensland Urban Utilities’ water regulations requirements. If you want to ensure long-term sustainability and a small environmental footprint, choose Aerofloat.”

For more information, visit www.aerofloat.com.au