Turning tuna-processing wastewater into energy.

The challenge

Tuna processing produces high-strength wastewater, rich in fats, oils and grease and in nitrogen. Fats cause foaming and inhibit digestion, and the treated water must meet discharge limits on nitrogen.

Our solution

Anaerobic digestion converts the organic load into biogas that replaces fossil fuel in industrial processes, followed by biological treatment including nitrogen removal. When the nitrogen removal system later underperformed, Cirvanta led a troubleshooting assessment and defined a remediation strategy with process options, costs and timelines.

The result

A waste-to-value plant serving an industrial host, with a clear path back to reliable regulatory compliance.