Wastewater and Solid Waste Management(selected excerpts) The
beer brewing process generates large amounts of wastewater
effluent and solid wastes that must be disposed of or treated in
the least costly way to meet strict discharge regulations set by
government entities. Brewery wastewater typically has a high
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) from all the organic components
(sugars, soluble starch, ethanol, volatile fatty acids, etc).
Brewery wastewater usually has temperatures ranging from 25°C to
38°C. The pH levels can range between 2 and 12 and are
influenced by the amount and type of chemicals used in cleaning
and sanitation (e.g., caustic soda, phosphoric acid, nitric
acid, etc.). Nitrogen and phosphorus levels are mainly dependent
on the raw material and the amount of yeast present in the
effluent. Click on the following topics for more information on
wastewater and solid waste management.