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Wastewater Treatment for Breweries

While the ingredients utilized during the brewing process is natural and may seem harmless, the resulting wastewater byproduct is difficult to treat as it contains high levels of TSS, BOD and COD, which can increase cost and hamper efficiency. Although breweries use ingredients such as hops and barley, the after effect requires a complex process to treat the water and render it safe for release.

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Brewery wastewater treatment equipment
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Characteristics of brewery wastewater

  • High levels of sugar and alcohol
  • Solids that can form sludge
  • Low pH levels
  • Average COD over 5,000 mg/L
  • Average BOD over 3,000 mg/L
  • Average total suspended solids of 1,800 mg/L

Hazards presented by brewery wastewater

Brewery effluent requires treatment because it does not meet release standards on its own. Aeration and clarification can be time-consuming and expensive because high BOD requires substantial oxygen.

Its natural acidity can also create corrosion risk. Brewery wastewater can produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which can form sulfuric acid when mixed with water vapor and corrode concrete or mild-steel treatment equipment.

Acidity can fluctuate with brewery activity and production. Although the wastewater is primarily low in pH, increases can occur, raising the likelihood of solid deposits and the volume of sludge requiring removal.

Brewery wastewater treatment process

Brewery wastewater requires aeration treatment. Pumping oxygen into wastewater supports bacteria that break down residual sugars and alcohol. The resulting material is filtered out, leaving treated water.

High BOD increases oxygen demand, power consumption, and treatment time. It also creates more sludge that must be removed from the effluent.

Dissolved air flotation (DAF)

Efficient sludge removal and oxygen aeration are important for brewery wastewater treatment. An Enhanced Dissolved Air Flotation (E-DAF) system can reduce TSS by as much as 99% and BOD/COD by as much as 50% before the biological step.

Countercurrent scraping, sludge grating, and thickening help the Ecologix E-DAF system separate and contain sludge.

Moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR)

To reduce the footprint of biological treatment, Ecologix offers Bio-Chips with a large surface area per cubic foot of media, reducing the tank footprint required for treatment.

The MBBR Eco Chip is a high-performance MBBR carrier with a protected active surface area of more than 5,500 m²/m³ for microorganisms used in biological water treatment processes.