Ingredion: diverting waste water for increased income

Ingredion’s multiple operations in Thailand convert locally grown cassava, also known as tapioca, into many different starch-based ingredients for use in food or industrial applications. The company’s operations in Thailand all have facilities to treat the waste water generated from the manufacturing process. This waste-water treatment allows the company to meet or exceed the regulatory requirements for waste-water discharge.

Nonetheless, the company continually explores alternative solutions to waste-water management. As part of this effort, one of the manufacturing sites in Thailand worked with local regulatory officials and a local ecologist to determine more beneficial applications for the site’s waste-water effluent. This collaboration found that local Napier grass would be a viable outlet for the treated waste water. Napier grass, a protein source for local cattle, is typically grown only in the rainy season. Providing effluent water to Napier farmers enabled farmers to grow additional crops in the dry season, significantly increasing their income from the crop.