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Published: 02.06.2016

NEW – Reducing water use in fish and seafood processing

The Pakyurek seafood processing plant located in Adana primarily produces canned marinated anchovy. The groundwater aquifer, from which the plant is abstracting fresh water for its operations, has been recognised as extremely vulnerable to climate change. The company was selected to participate in the UN Joint Programme “MDG-F 1680 Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adopt Climate Change”, as it operates in a priority industrial sector in the Seyhan River Basin. The programme provided Pakyurek with partial funding and technical advice in order to improve its water footprint. The evaluation of the anchovy processing revealed potential for water reuse and waste minimisation.

Water treatment units were installed in the thawing (defrosting with water) and gutting stages to reduce water withdrawals by up to 70%. An oil separator was fitted within the new wastewater system and valuable fish oils were recovered as a by product. The project was delivered with the support of the Technology Development Foundation of Turkey (TTGV) in collaboration with the Middle East Technical University(METU) and was partially financed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

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