Pelwatte Dairy Launches Largest Effluent Treatment Plant in Sri Lanka

Pelwatte Dairy Industries Limited has recently commissioned a state-of-the-art Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at its manufacturing facility in Buttala, Sri Lanka. This development signifies a major milestone in the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable operations.

The facility is the largest Effluent Treatment Plant within a dairy processing operation in Sri Lanka. It has been designed to align with strict environmental expectations required by Western, European, and Far Eastern markets, particularly in terms of wastewater discharge standards and sustainability practices.

The newly launched ETP boasts a base treatment capacity of 250 cubic meters per day. It is engineered to handle peak volumes of up to 325 cubic meters, providing approximately 30 percent additional capacity to accommodate future growth in processing volumes. This feature ensures Pelwatte Dairy can maintain consistent environmental performance even during high production scenarios.

The plant incorporates advanced treatment technologies such as Integrated Dissolved Air Flotation (IDAF), Anaerobic and Enhanced Sequential Batch Reactor (AnSBR/eSBR) systems, dedicated CIP wastewater management, real-time automated process monitoring, and screw press sludge dewatering. These systems enable the plant to meet the stringent discharge standards set by Sri Lanka's Central Environmental Authority (CEA).

Additionally, the ETP supports adherence to ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) practices, reinforcing Pelwatte Dairy's structured approach to environmental management and continuous improvement. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives from the Board of Investment (BOI) Environmental Division and Central Environmental Authority (CEA) provincial and district offices.