Brewery Wastewater

Wastewater is one of the most significant waste products of brewery operations. Even though substantial technological improvements have been made in the past, it has been estimated that approximately 3 to 10 liters of waste effluent is generated per liter of beer produced in breweries. The quantity of brewery wastewater will depend on the production and the specific water usage.

Characteristics of Brewery Wastewater

Wastewater is mostly water by weight. Other materials make up only a small portion of wastewater, but can be present in large enough quantities that may require some pretreatment before discharging the wastewater into the sewage system.

Water Quality

Wastewater quality may be defined by its physical and chemical characteristics.

• Physical Characteristics

Physical parameters include color, odor, temperature, and turbidity. Insoluble contents such as total solids (TS), oil and grease also fall into this category.

• Chemical Characteristics

Chemical parameters associated with the organic content of waste-water include biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total oxygen demand.