São Paulo – Brazilian food company BRF said its plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE is now reusing 100% of the treated water in its operations. The facility does large-scale processing of animal protein-based foods. Project rollout began early into this month, and the company told ANBA it has reached 200 cubic meters of water reuse.
Overall, BRF expects to save up 72,000 m³ of water a year, which translates into an economy of USD 130,000. “Aside from the financial gain, the adoption of this new technology brings environmental gain, since we’re making more conscious use of water in a country that was built in the middle of the desert,” BRF Abu Dhabi plant industrial manager Giovani Pelliza explained in a press release.
The water is being reused in processes including the plant’s refrigeration and garden irrigation. The project was developed alongside Water Engineering Technologies (WET) and the water purification method is reverse osmosis – which is also used at BRF plants in Turkey, where USD 70,000 and 50,000 m³ are saved up each year.
BRF’s Abu Dhabi plant opened in 2014. Its products include hamburger, sausage, marinated chicken breast, breaded chicken, and special chicken cuts. The raw material is sourced from Brazil and sold under the Sadia, Hilal and Perdix brands. Aside from selling in the UAE, the goods ship to countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.
Changes in the Abu Dhabi plant
Earlier this year, the Abu Dhabi plant also embraced a new energy system. Hosted on a virtual server, it manages the factory’s control panels, saving USD 340,000 and slashing CO2 emissions by 1,000 tons each year.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
