Beer Waste Saves Montana Town $1M on Water Treatment
npr.org
npr.org
While the Water Reclamation Facility in Bozeman found the chemistry worked, the logistics of transporting the liquid brewery waste there are too expensive for now. If regulations get stricter, the plant may consider this approach in the future.
So did they save $1M using this approach, or are they not even using it after all?
"But it may not work everywhere."
However it hasn’t actually saved $1M, only saved a small amount over the alum that probably would have otherwise saved them from the $1M upgrade :)
Bozeman, MT but is not currently using the process, as you noted.
"We know the alum that we saved already is about $16,000 a year for sure. But if that wouldn't have done it, that's when an upgrade around the corner would have been, and then if we have to do an upgrade, there's where you run into the millions," Newfield says.
Using the grain definitely saved them $16,000 a year in using alum, which may not have been as effective. If the alum hadn't worked, then they would have had to make the $1million investment.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/bruges-pipe-dr...
I grimaced at the mere thought of what kind of beer my municipality would provide.
No downsides.
Imagine having to pay a municipal tax to get Bud Light piped into your house. Ugh.
Like on large German navy ships in the first half of 20th century.
On a side note, seeing that photo with the massive tubs of spent grain lying around makes me gag just thinking about the smell. For those unfamiliar, leaving out spent grains for a day or two results in a putrid buttery + vomit smell, likely due to butyric acid.
Im sure micro breweries would love to add an additional revenue stream.
Local farmers already partner with breweries to use some of the spent grain as cattle feed adjunct. I don't know whether spent grain is viable as fertilizer.
Another reason might be that most breweries are likely hesitant to introduce another microorganism in vast quantities into the brewery--especially if that microorganism feeds on the same stuff as yeast does--to avoid contamination of their main product: beer.
Seems like that's solvable.
I think working with algae farms would be the best way. They can provide the nutrients to the algae farmers. Which would be an easier additional revenue stream.
I think a better solution to cut the transportation would be to build a algae farm using closed systems next to the breweries or close to them
I misread your question, but I'll write my answer anyway:
Wastewater treatment plants do produce fertilizer. There is some concern about using on plants destined to be human food, due to the bacteria present in human waste, so it is often used on other crops
The title on the article has changed from this, which is incorrect. It referred to a one off upgrade needed without the process that normally used alum.
> Beer Waste Helps Montana Town Save Money On Water Treatment
"We know the alum that we saved already is about $16,000 a year for sure."
But, as what they are doing is non standard external costs would add up.
But employees love doing novel things so there's the added productivity bonus.
Barley seems to be around 121.71 a tonne, so no real need to get recycled barley? But then maybe there's something easier than barley that's more standard and accurate and doesn't risk costly mistakes. Like alum?