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Smithfield Foods has built a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system to replace most of the existing system at its pork-processing complex in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, US. The new $45 million wastewater system provides additional treatment processes and capabilities to meet new and “more stringent” permit limits on nitrates and ammonia. It biologically converts ammonia-nitrogen in wastewater to nitrate-nitrogen and removes nitrate-nitrogen from wastewater. Known as denitrification, this treatment process is said to be preferred by the US Environmental Protection Agency due to its reduced impact on aquatic life. Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer for Smithfield, said: “This new state-of-the-art wastewater project reinforces Smithfield's proactive approach to implementing sustainable systems that improve environmental quality and benefit the community”. He added that the investment the company has made in Sioux Falls will “significantly reduce nutrient discharges and improve water quality in the Big Sioux River basin”. Smithfield says it has made other large improvements to its wastewater system at Sioux Falls over the past few years at a cost of $10 million.