Water Return Line Disinfection at an Aseptic Dairy Manufacturer

Issue

After being stagnant for a year, the waterline was visibly foul upon reopening. The plant did not have a Clean-in-Place (CIP) disinfection process in place and reached out to Sterilex for a solution.

Background

An aseptic dairy manufacturer contacted Sterilex for sanitation recommendations prior to bringing a water return line back online for production. The plant experienced quality issues on its finished product and identified that the root cause was the sterile water generator. As a result, the plant started sending the water to the drain instead of recapturing the water within the system.

They determined that the issue was in the return waterlines, however, there was no clear solution for how to clean this area. The plant realized the severity of the biofilm buildup and initially tried using 2–3 times the standard dose of a chlorinated caustic. However, the biofilm was so adhered to the piping that even at this high dose, the chlorinated caustic was ineffective.

The plant was wasting a significant amount of water by not being able to thoroughly clean and repurpose sterile water.

Solution

The plant ran a shock treatment using Sterilex Ultra CIP and Sterilex Ultra Activator Solution for four treatments, as outlined, followed by an extra rinse to remove any remaining foam. Following the successful shock treatment, the plant implemented a monthly cleaning schedule to ensure the supply legs are clean.

Big Wins

• Removed biofilm buildup in water return lines
• Improved Product Quality: zero product micro failures for a month
• Recaptured water saved 1.4 million gallons of water a month