Craft Brewing Wastewater Treatment: How Much Does Your System Need?

We know brewery wastewater treatment can be overwhelming with contributing factors including stressors on water supply, risk of water shortage or water pollution. Each of these factors have environmental risks, as well as increased financial costs to your facility.  

We understand that there are many different wastewater options, including on-site treatment that may include pH neutralization, solids removal and/or biological treatment or discharging to the environment and paying the local Publicity Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Below are some key factors to consider when determining the best treatment process for your facility.   

CONSIDERATIONS

  • How many gallons of wastewater are you producing per produced barrel of beer? Are you able to reduce this number? Reducing the gallons of wastewater per produced barrel of beer can reduce your operational costs significantly; as well as help you meet environmental goals.       
  • Have you done a 24-hour sample and tested your wastewater? Knowing your Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), both soluble and insoluble, pH and other contaminants will help determine where you might be able to decrease the impurities. For example, do you capture and dispose of your spent yeast? What about weak wort, trub, ullage and spoiled beer?
  • Do you know what you currently pay for your water? Understanding your cost of water both incoming and outgoing will help you determine how much, if any, wastewater treatment you need. 

Simplifying wastewater treatment begins with understanding and identifying your facility costs and goals. Overdesigning and overtreating your wastewater system will typically result in excessive capital and chemical costs. Under-designing and undertreating your wastewater system will typically result in increased total operational costs. A deep dive into your treatment process with a water treatment expert is the best way to determine the level of treatment that is required. Kurita America can assist you with evaluating your brewery wastewater treatment needs and what options will help optimize your system and reduce cost.

To learn more about our Wastewater Treatment Programs or to schedule a system evaluation, contact Kurita America.

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