The beer industry in India could be facing a challenge
India is a rapidly emerging market for beer. Valued at $16.652 million in 2022, the Indian beer market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% over the next few years. However, the industry may soon find itself staring at a shortage of water.
How much water does beer production require?
All aspects of beer production require a considerably large amount of water. 90%-95% of the beer itself is comprised of water. What’s more, producing 1 liter of beer requires 7 liters of water. Now, an average microbrewery might be brewing around 10,000 to 12,000 liters a month, which means it will be using close to 84,000 liters of water a month.
Here’s how the problem may arise
Let’s take the example of Bangaluru, the pub capital of India. Bangalore is known as the pub capital of India. The city is home to around 60 microbreweries. Drawing from the previously mentioned statistics, the microbreweries in the city are using around 1.68 liters of water per day to brew the beer!
Additionally, there’s water required for washing, sterilizing, and cleaning the machine’s utensils and pipes, along with general-purpose water.
In other news, surveys are warning that Bengaluru has begun to face a growing water shortage, and might run out of water in 2031.
How could treating brewery wastewater help?
Breweries around India are cutting down on their water use in beer manufacturing. Apart from that, recycling process water for general purpose use, especially in pubs attached to microbreweries, could save considerable water over time. For instance, studies show that 49% of water use in hotels and restaurants is for non-pottable purposes. This water can be saved by proper recycling.
Explore our blog on wastewater treatment for hotels
What are the challenges in wastewater treatment for breweries?
Characteristics of wastewater
Even though breweries use natural ingredients to produce beer, the processing makes wastewater dangerous and difficult to treat. The wastewater contains high levels of BOD, COD and Total Suspended Solids.
Characteristics of Brewery Wastewater Effluents
- High BOD of more than 5000 mg/L
- High COD of more than 3000 mg/L
- Low pH levels
- High level of TSS up to around 1800 mg/L
- High levels of sugar and alcohol
- Solids that easily turn into sludge
Possibility of corrosion
Wastewater from breweries often contains high levels of acidity. This water can produce hydrogen sulfide gas. The gas mixes with water vapor to produce hydrogen sulphide which can corrode the tanks of the treatment plant if they are made from mild steel or even concrete. This could lead to delays in water treatment and depreciation of the wastewater treatment equipment over time.
Fluctuating water levels
The production level of the brewery may often fluctuate, depending on peak or low season, and customer demand. This results in fluctuation of water available for treatment. The acidity and pH level in brewery wastewater could also vary with time. If the pH levels increase, it could increase the amount of potential sludge that needs to be removed during the treatment process.
How is wastewater from breweries treated?
Dissolved air floatation
Dissolved air floatation is a water treatment technology that uses air to remove suspended solids from process water. In this process, the air is dissolved under pressure, and numerous little air bubbles are released into the process water at atmospheric pressure. The dissolved air bubbles adhere to the suspended solids and cause it to rise to the surface. Here, the solids can then be skimmed away. Processes such as flocculation and coagulation are also used to assist in floatation.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor technology
MBBR or Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor technology comprises of a combination of conventional activated sludge process and biofilm media. The MBBR technology utilizes special floating plastic media inserted into the biological filtration tank. This media provides more space for the microorganisms to grow on while reducing the footprint of the tank itself.
Explore the working of MBBR system in detail
Conclusion
Given their high water consumption, breweries across India are vital to the nations water conservation efforts. While breweries take measures to reduce their water needs related to production, treating and reusing their water for non-pottable purposes, especially in attached pubs in metros could significantly improve water availability and reduce water procurement costs.
Apart from the high-quality treatment of water, the availability of space for wastewater treatment plant in breweries is a major concern. Inovar works to address both of these pressing needs.
Inovar offers end-to-end solutions in wastewater treatment, ranging from design to commissioning of the plant. We work closely with the customer to understand their process requirements and provide customized plants that offer consistent and reliable performance, and are capable of operating amidst toughest of space constraints. Additionally, we also offer cost-effective technology to eliminate the effluent treatment smell, guaranteein a clean environment and surroundings.