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As global water scarcity intensifies and regulatory pressures mount, the F&B industry is being compelled to rethink its water management strategies. Siemens AG’s Michael Ahmadi, water and wastewater expert, explores how innovative treatment technologies, digital process optimisation and forward-thinking policy alignment are turning water reuse from a regulatory burden into a strategic advantage for the industry.

As global freshwater demand continues to outpace supply, projected to exceed availability by up to 40% by 2030, the food and beverage (F&B) sector finds itself at a critical watershed moment. Responsible for approximately 70 % of global freshwater withdrawals, agriculture and food manufacturing now face escalating pressure from water scarcity, climate change, regulatory tightening, and rising operational costs.

The traditional manufacturing paradigm (extract, process, consume and discharge) is proving increasingly unsustainable, particularly in water-intensive sectors like F&B. This linear model not only accelerates resource depletion, but also overlooks the potential of what is typically treated as waste.

In many cases, discharged water streams contain recoverable value and can serve as viable resources when managed through circular and reuse-oriented approaches. In this context, industrial water reuse emerges as both an environmental imperative and a strategic opportunity, enabling manufacturers to reduce abstraction and discharge volumes without compromising hygiene or product quality. This article examines how advanced treatment technologies and digital process optimisation can help embed water reuse as a core pillar of sustainable, cost-effective F&B production

The regulatory landscape

The food and beverage industry operates within an intricate landscape of environmental standards and food safety mandates that increasingly shape the adoption of industrial water reuse.

In the US, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Clean Water Act sets enforceable effluent limits through discharge permits, while technology-based Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) require implementation of best-available treatment solutions. In Germany, the Abwasserverordnung mandates wastewater discharge standards for over 50 industrial sectors, food and beverage included, and emphasises the use of best available techniques. At the global level, certifications such as ISO 22000 and HACCP, reinforced by Codex Alimentarius and voluntary schemes like the Global Food Safety Initiative, enforce critical control points and traceability to minimise microbial or chemical hazards.

Within this regulatory framework, three principal risk vectors emerge: microbial contamination, chemical hazards (such as cleaning agents and heavy metals), and cross-contamination between reuse and product streams. Industry guidance emphasizes rigorous process isolation, comprehensive real-time monitoring, and automated traceability, ensuring water reuse does not compromise food safety or product integrity. Regulatory drivers are complemented by voluntary corporate sustainability goals, ESG commitments, and growing brand expectations to demonstrate circularity and environmental responsibility, further accelerating the uptake of reuse technologies in F&B manufacturing.

Technical and operational challenges

Water reuse in the F&B industry faces well-known constraints: hygiene standards, variable effluent loads, and heat-intensive cleaning cycles. Clean-in-place (CIP) systems, for example, operate at high temperatures with fluctuating chemical dosing, making reuse of rinse water complex without advanced treatment and monitoring.

Fluctuating chemical oxygen demand (COD)/ biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels from product losses and washdowns require adaptive treatment strategies, while pathogen control, especially for E. coli and Legionella, remains a top concern.

Despite available technologies, many producers hesitate to reuse water due to perceived hygiene risks. Successfully navigating these challenges requires multi-barrier treatment, energy-efficient designs and continuous quality monitoring, all aligned with food safety expectations

Advanced treatment technologies

To ensure effective and safe water reuse in food and beverage operations, a robust multi-barrier treatment train is essential. Membrane filtration technologies such as ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane bioreactors (MBR) form the backbone of many reuse systems. UF provides reliable removal of suspended solids and pathogens, with nearly 99,9 % pathogen rejection, while RO is essential for high-level purification, reducing both organic and inorganic contaminants to near-zero levels. MBRs combine biological treatment and solids separation efficiently, making them ideal for managing fluctuating organic loads in F&B rinse streams.

UV-based Advanced Oxidation Processes (UV-AOP) including UV/H2O2 and UV/chlorine are widely used as tertiary treatment, effectively targeting micropollutants and meeting stringent regulatory standards. Approximately 76% of advanced reuse plants now use UV-chlorine AOP following RO. To manage pH variations and nutrient levels, chemical balancing and nutrient removal modules are integrated where required, especially critical for CIP reuse loops and beverage processing streams. Increasingly, these systems are offered as modular, skid-mounted packages, allowing scalability and rapid deployment. These compact solutions are ideal for exportable reuse plant designs across industrial and municipal contexts.

Digitalisation & process simulation

As water reuse systems grow in complexity, digital tools are playing an increasingly critical role across the entire lifecycle, from design and commissioning to daily operations. Advanced simulation platforms are now widely used to model mass balances and the dynamic behaviour of reuse systems before physical implementation, helping manufacturers minimise trial-and-error and ensure hygienic integrity from the outset.

Virtual commissioning environments allow control architectures to be tested under realistic conditions prior to deployment, reducing start-up risks and enhancing operator training. During operation, integrated digital platforms enable real-time tracking of water and energy consumption, offering actionable insights and performance benchmarks, particularly valuable in resource-intensive processes like clean-in-place (CIP).

Liquid analytics tools support food safety compliance by continuously monitoring water quality parameters such as turbidity, total organic carbon (TOC) and UV absorbance (UVA). Process simulation environments are increasingly used not only during planning but also during operation, where digital twins ingest real-time plant data to optimise performance and inform decision-making. While digitalisation cannot replace robust treatment infrastructure, it significantly enhances responsiveness, traceability, and long-term efficiency in industrial water reuse operations

Seeing the solution in action: Case study examples

Below are three real-world implementations that highlight modular and efficient water reuse in F&B contexts, with measurable reductions in water and energy use while retaining high food-safety standards

Beverage Facility – US

A beverage plant implemented an MBR followed by RO polishing and UV disinfection to treat process wastewater for use in cooling towers and chillers. The system reclaimed 26.6 million US gallons of water annually, offsetting 31.6% of total plant demand and reducing cooling tower makeup by 11% (~9 million gallons/year).

Dairy Plant – Brazil

A large dairy facility in Minas Gerais installed an MBR coupled with nanofiltration; a water pinch analysis showed the system could reduce freshwater use in CIP by 33.4%, and by up to 66.7-95.4% across all plant operation.

Seismic Brewing – US, Santa Rosa

Seismic Brewing installed an advanced water reuse system in 2016, cutting potable water use to 2.7 gallons per gallon of beer, far below the industry average. Using biological wastewater treatment, filtration, RO and UV disinfection, treated wastewater is reused onsite for non-potable purposes, reducing costs, environmental impact and reliance on municipal water and sewer infrastructure

Reuse isn’t a risk – it’s a route forward

Water reuse is no longer a niche sustainability tactic. It is a strategic enabler for resilience, compliance, and cost control in the F&B sector. As regulations tighten and water becomes a limiting factor for growth, manufacturers must act decisively.

This means embracing cross-sectoral innovation, aligning with forward-thinking technology providers, and pushing for policy frameworks that support safe reuse. But beyond technology and compliance, a shift in internal culture is essential: reuse must be viewed not as a compromise, but as an opportunity to lead. From rinse loops to full-process reuse, the solutions are ready.

What’s needed now is bold action to integrate them and turn water reuse from a defensive strategy into a competitive advantage.