Beer Waste Saves Montana Town $1M on Water Treatment(npr.org)
npr.org
Beer Waste Saves Montana Town $1M on Water Treatment
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/12/804586191/beer-waste-saves-montana-town-1-million-on-water-treatment
32 comments
I think the solution should be obvious. Cities should get into the business of producing both clean water AND beer at the same facilities, and create a separate pipe network to distribute beer on tap to every home.
We're not there yet, but they've gotten closer in Bruges...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/bruges-pipe-dr...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/bruges-pipe-dr...
Ha, people's tastes in beer vary too widely for that.
I grimaced at the mere thought of what kind of beer my municipality would provide.
I grimaced at the mere thought of what kind of beer my municipality would provide.
Definitely be a good way to increase voter turnout. “Vote for IPA this year!”, and town brewer be a competitive elected position.
No downsides.
No downsides.
I don't think so. People who prefer light lagers will always be in the majority, and everyone else will just be unhappy all the time.
Imagine having to pay a municipal tax to get Bud Light piped into your house. Ugh.
Imagine having to pay a municipal tax to get Bud Light piped into your house. Ugh.
>separate pipe network to distribute beer on tap to every home.
Like on large German navy ships in the first half of 20th century.
Like on large German navy ships in the first half of 20th century.
Clearing excess oxygen would be a pain. You'd have a gallon of foamy beer coming out of your faucet.
In Czechia, this is something you can order in a bar.
From the article: Havre, MT is using this approach and has been able to put off a $1MM upgrade to its wastewater plant (in addition to saving $16k to date on alum).
Bozeman, MT but is not currently using the process, as you noted.
Bozeman, MT but is not currently using the process, as you noted.
From my reading, that's still not quite right.
"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.
"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.
They do not. Those sentences are about a different water reclamation facility facing different circumstances. You should amend your comment.
They're saying it's too expensive to do outside of Bozeman. The sentence that begins that paragraph clarifies it.
"But it may not work everywhere."
"But it may not work everywhere."
Apparently it’s more subtle: although the article begins and ends by talking about Bozeman (and saying even Bozeman doesn’t actually use this method), it turns out that Havre is the city that saved some money and is in fact using this method successfully.
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 :)
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 :)
[deleted]
Beer has a long history of byproduct uses. Bakers used to approach the brewers to see if they could skim some of their excess yeast to use for baking bread.
marmite
> Beer Waste Saves Montana Town $1M on Water Treatment
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?
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?
Very neat idea.
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.
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.
It can't be much worse than the smell of the blackwater being treated
With this article in mind, why don’t breweries become algae farms for biofuels or fertilizer?
Im sure micro breweries would love to add an additional revenue stream.
Im sure micro breweries would love to add an additional revenue stream.
Why don't they just? The answer is usually the same: it would cost more. Drilling operations regularly flare (burn) natural gas, because it would cost too much to transport it.
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
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
Human waste contains medicines, hormones, heavy metals etc. which the waste water treatment plants can’t generally remove. You don’t want these things back into the human food chain, without further treatment.
I am guessing because there's a lot more to growing and processing algae. What the article is talking about is just moving some of the spent grain to the water treatment plant.
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.
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.
Algae gets its energy by photosynthesis, so it needs light to grow. Beer (bittered with natural hops) must be kept away from light to avoid producing unpleasant tasting compounds:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_bottle#Lightstruck_beer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_bottle#Lightstruck_beer
> In some cases, such as Miller High Life, a hop extract that does not have isohumulones is used to bitter the beer so it cannot be "lightstruck"
Seems like that's solvable.
Seems like that's solvable.
I don't think many microbreweries would be in favor of that. Miller High Life isn't exactly renowned for its great hop flavor.
I think the cost of operating and running an algae farm for biofuel production is too expensive for the breweries. Another reason is the size of reactors or ponds for growing algae for biofuel is pretty massive. Most companies that grow algae for biofuel have multiple ponds the size of football fields and sometimes the yield is still pretty low.
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 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
Spent grain is usually used as feed or for composting as it is.
text-only version: https://text.npr.org/s.php?sId=804586191
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?