MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-57-4-1105-01 | 
VIEW ARTICLE
Ann R. Spevacek and Eric J. Ritchson. Pizza Port Brewing Company, Carlsbad, CA, U.S.A.
Abstract
Brewing byproducts are rich in organic materials and suspended solids that are often washed down the drain. These compounds can wreak havoc on microbial ecosystems in the natural environment and at wastewater treatment plants, and they are therefore tightly regulated. To achieve compliance with our local publicly owned treatment works (POTW), we set out to lower our daily biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids loadings. We first installed a new wastewater pretreatment system that included an equalization tank, screw press solid separator, and automatic pH adjuster. We then diverted waste streams one by one to determine their effect on our daily chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading. The combination of improved solids separation and brewhouse/cellar side-streaming decreased our daily COD readings by 72%, which brought us into compliance with our local POTW.
