Reducing drinks effluent disposal costs and environmental impacts
High rate liquid anaerobic digestion is an ideal process for the treatment of the effluents from breweries, distilleries and soft drinks manufacture. Clearfleau designs and installs innovative customised treatment plants for liquid effluents and co-products from drinks production.
Clearfleau's systems are designed to reduce the net costs and the environmental impact of waste disposal. They are suited to treatment of distillery and brewery co-products, including:
- Waste waters from the production process
- Wash down residues and other effluents
- Evaporation water from the malting process
- Co-products and other liquid waste feedstocks
Clearfleau's Anaerobic Reactor converts suspended (volatile) solids from these effluents and co-products into biogas. It can be integrated into existing treatment systems and retro-fitted in existing storage tanks. On-site anaerobic digestion has the potential ability to produce a significant proportion of energy needs (heat and power) for distilleries and breweries.
Detailed waste analysis is required to evaluate the biogas potential of the co-products. It is possible to assess process effectiveness on your site with our mobile trials unit. Depending on the nature of the feedstocks, the system has a number of potential benefits including:
- Reduced effluent discharge and haulage of waste off-site
- Generation of electricity and surplus heat for use on-site
- Reduced environmental impact and lower carbon footprint
- Potential for recycled water to partly replace existing supply
Clearfleau has a thorough understanding of industry needs and in addition to discussions with the UK’s Brewing Research Institute and representatives of the distillery sector in Scotland will be undertaking a trial on feedstocks from the distillery sector in 2011. We are also looking at opportunities to recycle effluent from the barley malting process. Our processes are also suited to applications in the cider making and soft drinks sectors
The UK’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regulations (IPPC) require companies to make continual improvements in environmental standards. ISO 14001 on environmental management requires periodic audit of environmental systems and management. The distillery and brewing sectors are committed to reducing energy consumption and their carbon footprint, as well as recycling water. As with renewable energy, water recycling investment is eligible for enhanced capital allowances (ECAs).
