Thise Mejeri is Denmark’s largest organic dairy company. It is a dairy cooperative consisting of 90 farmers with a total annual production of 85 mio kg organic milk. The primary dairy products are milk, butter, cheese, and yoghurt which are distributed to consumers in Denmark and abroad through major super-market chains..

Thise is not only renowned for its ability to develop new products
and taste variants that meet and exceed market trends and consumer
expectations, but also for its high ethical standards and
environment-friendly thinking in the entire value chain – from raw
materials and production to disposal of by-products and wastewater
treatment. In 2007, Thise started the search for green and
future-proof wastewater treatment technology that could accommodate
the increasing wastewater volumes deriving from several
incremental expansions of the organic production.
The answer was an industrial biological wastewater treatment
solution from Grundfos BioBooster, which was designed and
installed within a short time span due to the pre-fabricated
components.

The Situation
Thise Mejeri uses a unique lagoon system (water reservoir) for
wastewater treatment comprising a preliminary lagoon and a main
lagoon. Since the lagoons are open-air and located in a residential
area, the elimination of odour emissions from the wastewater plant
constituted a prime concern for Thise. Also, the lagoons were reaching
their capacity limit – a problem that needed to be solved urgently
due to the continuous growth in the organic production.


The Grundfos Solution
Grundfos BioBooster incorporated and enhanced Thise Mejeri’s
pre-existing wastewater treatment setup, and provided the needed
extra treatment capacity with a compact and odour-free solution
prepared for future expansion, full wastewater treatment,
and water reuse. The solution is based on two components: The
PBR (pressurised biofilm reactor) used for pre-treatment of the
wastewater before it is drained to the lagoons, and the MBR
(membrane biological reactor) used for full treatment of partial
streams of the wastewater, and which allows for direct discharge
to receiving waters and water reuse at a later stage.

The Outcome
The Grundfos BioBooster solution solved Thise Mejeri’s capacity
problems arising out of production expansions, and provided an
odour-free treatment process for the benefit of the environment
and the surrounding neighbours.
Thise Mejeri has gained a future-proof solution that can be expanded
gradually according to the growth in production without heavy
up-front investments in an over-dimensioned treatment plant. Now
they can continue to fully utilise the inherent value of their wastewater,
protect the environment from odour nuisance and disposal
of damaging wastewater by-products, and not least document
wastewater characteristics/composition to the authorities.