3. Main parameters used to characterize pollution

Maintaining good dairy hygiene requires numerous washing operations on floors, tanks, pipes, etc., using both cold and hot water, and sometimes in the presence of various additives. All this effluent water contains many different molecules that are impossible to identify and quantify individually and exhaustively.

We therefore use quantities that serve to characterize the level of pollution present in the effluent in a comprehensive and relevant manner. The volumes discharged and the quantity of matter containing mainly carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus are the most important characteristics to consider. However, this does not preclude special attention being paid to other molecules or elements from time to time. The main quantities characterizing pollution are therefore defined here.