Problems that Occur in Treatment of Water and Wastewater in Coca-Cola Company

Water is an essential ingredient in operations of industries. Most products require water in their manufacturing process. The water used in the industry goes through the different process that includes actions of production like clean up, processing, and turning water after treating back to environment together with societies. Therefore, returning the water application to create various products back to communities and environment require appropriate treatment processes. There is a need by every industry to focus on appropriate ways during the treatment processes of water and water waste in their operations (Foladoni, 2014). The manufacturers need to set an important systemwide aim to need all of their activities to execute strict values to treat the water they utilize in their course of manufacturing back to the environment at the point that aid in supporting marine life, although when not necessary or demanded by the regional authorities together with populations. The intense focus on treatment of water and water waste in Coca-Cola Industry has stimulated treatment of wastewater from the purpose of typical working obligation accepted by the scheme of the industry (Marchetto, 2013). Therefore, this report paper examines on problems that arise in the treatment of water and wastewater in Coca-Cola Industry and potential technologies used in addressing these problems.

Coca-Cola Company has to deal with various issues that arise during the treatment of water and waste management because it produces the most recognizable non-alcoholic drink brands in the world. Communities have accused the Coca-Cola Company of dehydrating the society in its hunt for resources of water to nourish its operations and damaging communal agriculture. The COKE industry acknowledges that with no proper treatment of water, the manufacturers will continue to have zero processes. Businesses of Coca-Cola Company focuses on the entrance to huge provisions of treated water, as the industry takes about two point seven liters of treated water in manufacturing a liter of COKEs’ product (Carbon Sequestration Potential of Constructed Wetlands used for Wastewater Treatment, 20170. Some major problems that arise during the water and wastewater treatment consist of quality of water, the quantity of water, water efficiencies. Others include poor infrastructure, funding concerns, technological changes, increased regulations, and aging workforce among other factors

The adequate support that can be applicable in treating water and wastewaters remains to be a major problem in the Coca-Cola Company. As human population increases to grow and urbanize, the Coca-Cola Company has been having the challenges of securing water resources. The company also faces difficulties of disposing of wastewater after treatment in the appropriate manner (Rodel, 2016). The costs of infrastructure for storing and transporting reclaimed water to the point of use are always prohibitive. The operation makes the treatment and reuse of wastewaters to be economically viable. Consequently, the rise in infrastructure costs makes the systems of wastewater management to be more seriously considerate in the future to treat wastewater or water near the points of generating wastes (Coca-Cola successfully pilots water recovery system, 2012). The increase in population has made the Coca-Cola Company incur the huge amount of money on looking at the ideal process of disposing its treated wastewater instead of using the same amount in improving its operations. The company transports its treated wastewaters through collection servers to the water bodies at the lowest elevation of the collected system near to the point of disposal sites to the environment.

Cost of Infrastructure

Water scarcity is among the biggest problems facing the Coca-Cola Company in the treatment of water and wastewater. The issue of lack of water has remained to affect operations of several companies around the globe in the 21st century. The use of water in the Coca-Cola Company has been growing at more than twice the rate of recycling in the operations (Market report: Chinese water & wastewater treatment, 2013). The result shows that over ten percent of the recycled supply of water is applicable in manufacturing processes every year. The company has to compete in its development to ensure that they treat the water to be fresh because the distribution of clean water is not even around the world. The company lacks fresh water that is essential for its operations making the management to focus on the use of advanced methods to treat the available products so that the corporation can produce quality products. In most case, the Coca-Cola Company has focused on different corrective steps to conserving and protecting water suppliers so that any substance does not contaminate their water (Veolia to operate water and wastewater treatment plants for Hunter Water, 2014). A Little quantity of water during treatment process has seen the Coca-Cola Company invest more funds on harvesting rainwater, means of desalination of salty waters, and taking efficiency measures by treating the wastewaters before allowing their flow to the natural environment.

The challenge of contamination arises due to chemical constituents that have become worse by concerns of mixture toxicity to the ecosystem. The chemical removed from water content can be exposable to the ecosystem in most cases if there is no proper care taken by the company. Exposure to chemical constituents during treatment process of water happens discretely, but rather, chemicals exist as a complex mixture of the widely variable composition. According to Makoto (2015), the exploration of water wells by digging of wells by the Coca-Cola Company exposes people and animals to danger. During the scarcity of water, Coca-Cola Company always focuses on digging up several wells that results to the problem to ecosystems as lives of plants and other animals that depend on particular place lose their lives. In the process of exploring for new water, bodies lead to pollution of air that might further affect lives of the population around the company. Subsequently, during the treatment of water supplied to the Coca-Cola Company, the smokes from tunnels of machines are hazardous to human health. Without proper maintenance and care in place, then the problem can set back operations of the company because people will avoid their products.

The Coca-Cola Company always gets its primary ingredient from different water sources such as municipal water services, private wells, springs, private water companies along with surface water like lakes, oceans, and rivers. Treatment of water and wastewater faces a major challenge on the quality of water received from different suppliers (Kyzag et al., 2014). The testing of water regardless of where the company receives the water from makes it tough to get the exact contents of water within a short duration. The company has to conduct on-site testing for water to ensure that there is no contamination of the water before it is applicable for manufacturing of COKE products. The provision of different quality of water by various suppliers makes it tough for Coca-Cola Company to trust several companies (Kushwaha, 2013). The policy of Coca-Cola Company requires that every manufacturing plant in the system of the company operate at multiple barrier systems of water treatment. The system ensures that company to employ more resources on disinfection technologies like micro-filtration, multimedia, and carbon infiltration (Gertner & Rifkin, 2017). The quality of water received from suppliers affects treatments process because the company has to employ several employees to remain responsible for ensuring that every activity goes as per the plan. Besides, the company also finds it difficult to relate its operations with the availability and quality of local water resources.

Water Quantity

The progress in technology makes it tough for the company to embrace different models in treating water and wastewater during its operations. The development of ultra radiation technology requires that the company to develop more skilled employees to help in ensuring that the company can treat its water and wastewater instantly without the presence of unique color, odor, and tastes (Melita et al., 2014). The use of clouding computing to improve operations of the company in treating water is vital as it helps the company to have pure water for the manufacturing process. The advancements that come with a security concern that in some cases can damp the positive effects of advanced technology if there is no proper treatment and care in pace during operations (Gulyas, 2016). The use of energy recovery technologies has become important for treatment of wastewater, although the process can negatively affect operations of the company if there is no proper care. The use of technology in the wrong direction can make the management to mix up processes of treatment thus resulting in water of low quality during the manufacturing process (Shahbeig et al., 2016). The advancement in technology makes the company’s management to use many funds in purchasing different machines for treating water and wastewaters. The use of the enormous sum of money makes companies incur low profit shared among the stakeholders.

Potential technologies used to address problems that arise in treatment of water and wastewater in Coca-Cola Industry

Despite the lack of appropriate regulatory attention to water reuse, Coca-Cola Company during its operations tends to employ various levels of treatment along with technologies as conditions merit. Conventional treatment of problems that arises during treatment of water and wastewater comprises of screening and grease capture, primary clarifiers for suspended solid removals, dissolved air floatation, pH adjustments lagoons (Kalbar et al., 2012). All these treatments help in reducing the amount of water loss and pollution of water that is applicable in the manufacturing of different soft drinks by the company. The use of technological advancement has allowed Coca-Cola Company to develop distilled water efficient toolkits. The toolkits are essential to its manufacturing operations by checking on the quality and quantity of water used within the company (Desalitech to supply water treatment system to Coca-Cola bottler, 2014). Moreover, the toolkits enable Coca-Cola Company to compare the water use ratio across the system and present over one hundred possible solutions to help the company in improving the water usage efficiency.

The use of advanced technology has enabled the Coca-Cola Company to take much smaller steps in their operations. The company has been able to use different technological gadgets to measure usage of water amongst rellocation of work, installation of meters for detecting water flow or detecting leak. These devices help in checking and controlling water spillage in the company (Sadraouuli et al., 2010). The technology has allowed the company to develop the usage of spring valves to hoses pipes that ensure the correct amount of water flows to given section during manufacturing process thus controlling cases of water wastages. Therefore, these simple tools developed by technological advancements help in conserving the water during the process of treatment and recycling in the Coca-Cola Company.

Environmental Pollution

The use of excavation technology by Coca-Cola Company provides it with customized, high-rate wastewater treatment systems. These systems are significantly in reducing the amount of capital and charges for operations. According to Sundar (2012), educational technology usage can increase the capacity of manufacturing process within operations of any company. Moreover, the use of excavation technology allows the company to replace the large open-air treatment lagoons for water and wastewaters with the enclosed reactor that yields suitable water that can be recyclable. The excavation technology form one of the essential advancements in organic wastewater and water treatment for an extended period (Sabzali, 2016). Furthermore, one of the best options that are available to Coca-Cola Company in treating water and wastewater is the use of ultraviolet water treatment systems. The use of ultraviolet radiations is essential in purifying the water without adding undesirable odor, color, chemicals, or taste that can affect products produced during the manufacturing process. The method of using the technological advancement that results in UV radiation is essential because the process does not leave behind residual byproducts after treating water and wastewaters for reuse within the Coca-Cola Company. As reported by Wang (2015), ultra radiation technology is the technology of choice that has been in Coca-Cola Company because it provides the instant results without the communications of chemical additives to the essential product of manufacturing COKE products. The technology also does not leave the byproducts behind that can affect the quality and quantity of manufactured goods by the Coca-Cola Company.

Conclusion

The techniques and ideas of minimizing the problems that arise during the treatment of water and wastewater in Coca-Cola Company are the core target for the management of the company. The company has to set annual improvement target in every budget and work towards ambitious goals in future years. Because water is an integral factor in operations of industries, the ability of every company to flourish as the operations of industries relies on usage and management of treated and usage of water. The implementation of different initiatives is vital in addressing water quality, its scarcity, along with water efficiency. The oca-Cola Company has to work with their bottlers and supply chain partners in ensuring that the company continues to strive in improving their environmental performance while increasing their efficiencies. Therefore, the most environmentally beneficial practices or technological usages will enhance business efficiency within the industry. Wastewater and water treatment methods that have the potential to advance safe, reliable, and cost-effective technology should be applicable in treatment following the international priority. 

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