Operating a brewery is becoming a very lucrative choice of business, particularly when the beer is distinctive and makes an impact on the market. While having a great beer line is an important aspect of the success of any brewery, so is being able to keep the costs of production low.
While many startup breweries focus the cost of equipment and operation of the brewery itself, they may easily overlook one ongoing cost. This is the cost of wastewater treatment in both the manufacturing of the beer and the cleaning of the equipment can be substantial. The process of making beer requires a lot of water, most of which is flushed out of the system and needs to be treated or disposed of in an industrial site and not in the municipal sewers.
In the past, breweries did dispose of water over the ground or into sewage systems. However, with high sugar and alcohol content as well as high organic solids, and low pH, all create a high BOD or biochemical oxygen demand. This, in turn, causes water to take longer to process in wastewater treatment plants, which is why is to no longer possible to simply use the municipal sewer system without facing heavy fines and potential legal action.
Treatment Options
There are on-site options for brewery wastewater treatment systems that are compact, low-maintenance and very reasonably priced. These systems are designed in roll-off tanks that are used as a dewatering tank.
These brewery wastewater treatment systems collect the wastewater in the dewatering tank, where it is processed to remove suspended solids and contaminants to meet the required municipal levels. This water is then drained from the tank and into the sewer system or, in rural areas, released over the ground.
With this form of brewery wastewater treatment systems, disposal costs are kept low as the solid waste is all that is retained in the tank. The number of trips to dump the tank is dramatically reduced, saving the brewery in overhead costs while meeting all regulations and requirements for operation.
