Think Twice Before You Dump: A Journey to Wastewater ComplianceMARCH 1, 2019

ANN SPEVACEK, PHD

PIZZA PORT BREWING CO

It’s not a matter of if, but whenWater scarcity increases cost of water

Breweries are large consumers of water and producers of wastewater

Population growth stresses current wastewater treatment infrastructure

About Pizza Port

2018 Data

Total Water Usage (bbl) 203,000

Total Beer Production (bbl) 40,000

Water:Beer (bbl/bbl) 5

Total Wastewater Discharged (bbl) 99,000

Wastewater:Water (bbl/bbl) 0.5

Wastewater:Beer (bbl/bbl) 2.5

Strength of Pizza Port wastewater = ~8000 people = 4 times the population of Bressi Ranch!

Where does our wastewater go?

Pizza Port Bressi Ranch

Encina Water Pollution Control Facility Pacific Ocean

What Happens When Nutrient-

Rich Water is Released into an

Aquatic Ecosystem?

Managing our wastewater is the environmentally responsible thing to do

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/eutro_big.jpg

Wastewater Discharge Permit

Constituent Limit

pH 5.5 – 12.0

BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) 500 lbs/day

TSS (total suspended solids) 500 lbs/day

Not limited on volume released

Every municipality is different

Discharge Limits: pH

◦ Beer is acidic, so often lower than pH 5.5

◦ Adjust with caustic

+ Safe to dump to sewer

What is BOD?

Biochemical Oxygen Demand: amount of oxygen required for microbes to

convert organic materials to CO2 in 5 days

• Dissolved, biodegradable

• Amount of sugar in brewery wastewater

Sugars!Aerobic Bacteria

+O2 CO2 NH3

+

Proteins!

+ H2O

What is TSS?

Total Suspended Solids: Solids that are not dissolved and can be trapped

by filter

TSS!

Spent grain, yeast, hops for example

Game Plan to Address BOD/TSS1. Identify known variables

◦ How much wastewater do we release to the sewer every day?

◦ What is in the wastewater?

2. Identify unknown variables

◦ Where does the high BOD/TSS come from?

◦ How are we going to reach 500 lbs/day BOD/TSS?

What We KnowVolume and pH of wastewater going to sewer

What we put down the drain: everything but the spent grain!

◦ Brewhouse, cellar, CIP chemicals, adjuncts, etc.

What We Don’t KnowVolumes and concentrations of BOD & TSS of waste streams

lbs released

day=

Concentration (mg/L) x Volume Released (gal/day) x 8.34 x 10-6

Control points

Map out brewing and cleaning processes to determine control points

WhirlpoolLauter TunMash TunWort Wort Wort

Malt

Process Water

Heat

Process Water

Heat

Process Water

Hops

Heat

Wort

Spent Grain (~100,000 ppm BOD*)

Wort (~10,000 ppm BOD*)Trub (hops & solids)

Wort (~85,000 ppm BOD*)

Fermenter

Yeast

Yeast (~100,000 ppm BOD*)

Hops/Trub

Beer

Wort

Centrifuge

Beer

Yeast

Hops/Trub

Beer (~135,000 ppm BOD*)

Brite Tank

Beer

Packaging

Process Water

Heat

Packaging Materials

Beer

Production Process Flow

*BOD Estimates taken from https://www.brewersassociation.org/attachments/0001/1517/Sustainability_-_Water_Wastewater.pdf

Beer (~1,000 ppm BOD)

Kettle Heat X

FermentersCentrifugePackaging

WhirlpoolLauter TunMash TunWort Wort Wort

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Wort

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Yeast

Beer

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Wort

Beer

Yeast

Hops

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Beer

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Beer

Cleaning Process Flow

Beer

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Kettle Heat X

Spent Grain, Wort

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Hops/Trub, Wort

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Hops/Trub, Wort

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Brite Tank

Beer

Rinse Water

Cleaning Chemicals

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Water

Heat

Cleaning Chemicals

Collect Data!Need to know how much wastewater is produced at each point in the process

◦ Use per event and how many events

Need to measure concentration of BOD and TSS for each sample

◦ Send out samples to third party lab for testing

Can do same analysis for water usage to determine whether wasting water

Whirlpool Rinse

Keg Boy

Canning Line

Whirlpool

Transfer TrubFV Hops

FV Yeast

Lauter Tun

Sidestream

Reducing BOD/TSS LoadsSide-stream high strength waste streams

◦ Farmers – caution them that yeast is alive if feeding to cattle

◦ Composting facility

◦ Anaerobic digesters at local wastewater authority

◦ Fertilizer plant

Can be expensive to haul/dispose of

Requires storage space

Wastewater Treatment Process

pH NeutralizationSolid Separation Biological Treatment

• Equilibration Tank

• Mixing Capabilities

• Inject Caustic/Acid

• pH Meter

• Settling Tanks

• Rotary Screen

• Barrel Screen

• Screw press

• Aerobic

• Anaerobic

Reduces BOD Usually Necessary Can be $$, so Only If Necessary

What to Consider When Weighing Solution Options

ROI BUDGET AVAILABLE

FOOTPRINT

MAINTENANCE

REQUIREMENTS/

ANNUAL

OPERATION

COSTS

ABILITY TO

SCALE WITH

BREWERY

GROWTH

ConclusionsPrepare for the inevitable: wastewater compliance

Collect data

◦ Water usage

◦ Daily total wastewater discharge

◦ BOD, TSS, pH of daily discharges

◦ Track high strength waste streams – volume, BOD, TSS

Make informed decision about how to treat wastewater

Thank you!Thank you to Bressi Brew Crew!

Eric Ritchson

Resources

Brewer’s Association:

◦ Water and Wastewater: Treatment/Volume Reduction Manual

◦ Wastewater Management Guidance Manual

Questions?

anns@pizzaport.com

Sample

Daily Total Volume

(gal)

Weekly Total Volume

(gal) BOD (mg/L) TSS (mg/L)

Lauter Tun 1540 7700 sent for analysis

sent for

analysis

Whirlpool 385 1925 sent for analysis

sent for

analysis

Whirlpool Rinse 1155 5775 sent for analysis

sent for

analysis

Fermenter: Spent Yeast Dumped before

Dry Hopping 220 2420 sent for analysis

sent for

analysis

Fermenter: Hops after DH & Cold Crash 234 701

Fermenter: Trub during Transfer

Centrifuge

Keg Boy

Canning Line

Total Weekly

Volume (gal) 18521 Planning to Side-stream