After you know the characteristics of your wastewater, planning is the next step. You must bear in mind that winery wastewater treatment plant design is particularly complex. It depends on various factors such as the size of the winery, the amount and composition of the wastewater produced, the local regulations and the financial possibilities of the winery. Therefore, it is important that you get an expert on your side. We will advise you based on your individual business situation and provide you with the perfect wastewater treatment plant.
Winery wastewater treatment plant design
Ask us any question
Together we realise the individual winery wastewater treatment plant design
Contents:
On this page you will get a comprehensive overview of how we plan your individual wastewater treatment plant. In the process, we once again highlight the various discharge options for wastewater from wineries. Depending on the pollutant concentration, we will show you which process is the most efficient way to achieve the desired purification values. The correct selection of the appropriate treatment system guarantees you long-term and low-maintenance wastewater treatment.
Discharge options for winery wastewater
As described in a previous article, you have three options for the reuse of wastewater from wineries: Discharge into the public sewerage system, direct discharge into the environment and reuse within the company. Depending on which variant you choose, different purification standards are necessary, which you must consider with your winery wastewater treatment plant design. For discharge into the sewage system, a simple biological treatment step is sufficient. For direct discharge into the environment, it is crucial to stay below the specified regional limits. For reuse in the company, on the other hand, strict hygiene standards apply. More information on discharge options for wastewater from wineries can be found here.
Pollutants in winery wastewater
The pollutants present in wastewater from different wineries has little variability. They only differ considerably in the different processing steps. For example, different components are mixed into the wastewater from cleaning the transport vehicles than into the wastewater produced during bottle cleaning. We essentially distinguish between solids, dissolved organic substances, and dissolved inorganic substances. Solids are, for example, small stems, cores, or shell residues. Dissolved organic substances are alcohol, sugar, acids, protein, cleaning surfactants and disinfectants. Dissolved inorganic substances, on the other hand, are alkalis, sulphur dioxide, salts, disinfectants, and complexing agents. It is particularly important to bear this in mind with your winery wastewater treatment plant design.
Pre-treatment of winery wastewater
Pre-treatment is a crucial step in the planning of winery wastewater treatment plant design. It does not matter which discharge option or process you ultimately choose. In any case, it is important to use screening to separate coarse solids in advance. This can be either a drum screen or a screen screw. Both methods are equally well suited for retaining the stalks, kernels and peel residues that accumulate. Screening is important because the solids can clog or damage the further treatment steps. This would mean that reliable and long-lasting wastewater treatment would not be possible. Pre-screening also reduces the sum parameters COD and BOD to a very small extent.
Chemical-physical treatment of winery wastewater
Screened wastewater is suitable for further chemical and physical treatment. The reason for this is the high content of suspended matter present in the wastewater. Biological treatment processes are usually overtaxed with undissolved pollutants, which is why dissolved air flotation is the optimal solution here.
In this chemical-physical treatment step, flocculants are used to bind the suspended solids in the wastewater. This increases their surface area and thus facilitates the flotation process. A dosing station adds a certain amount of flocculant based on your individual wastewater. It then enters the flotation reactor. A partial stream is supersaturated with air by means of pressure. When this partial stream also enters the reactor, the pressure is released and the air dissolves out of the water again. This creates very fine bubbles that attach themselves to the flocculated suspended matter and float it upwards.
We have already installed numerous DAF systems in wineries worldwide. Based on our experience, we guarantee the following purification services:
| Parameter | COD | BOD5 | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Cleaning efficiency | 85% | 85% | 95% |
Receive Our Newsletter
This produces a sludge, which the dissolved air flotation separates from the clear water. This still has a high moisture content, which is why sludge dewatering is worthwhile. The dewatered sludge has a very small volume and can therefore be easily stored and disposed of. The separated water is returned to the flotation plant to be reprocessed.
Biological treatment of winery wastewater
If there are few or no suspended solids in the wastewater, biological wastewater treatment is suitable for wineries. This is either an additional treatment step to dissolved air flotation or a stand-alone system. The decisive factor is the individual composition of the wastewater.
Biological wastewater treatment is a purely natural process that uses microorganisms to break down the pollutants in the wastewater. A carrier material is used to which the microorganisms attach themselves. These microorganisms are already present in every type of wastewater. They grow on the carrier material and develop their full purification capacity there.
There are various processes for biological wastewater treatment on the market. However, not every process is suitable for wastewater treatment for wineries. It is crucial for you to choose the right process to ensure efficient, long-lasting, and reliable wastewater treatment in your business.
For many wineries we work with, we have had the best experience with the FBBR process. This is a submerged fixed bed, in which the growth materials are permanently installed in a reactor. Underneath them is an aeration system that supplies the microorganisms with air at regular intervals. These break down the dissolved pollutants in the wastewater and convert them into secondary sludge. This settles on the bottom and can be easily removed from there. Since the microorganisms remain on the fixed bed material, it is not necessary to return the secondary sludge.
If you use an FBBR process in your winery wastewater treatment plant design, you can achieve almost any degree of purification. In any case, this gives you the option of discharging the wastewater directly into the environment. For reuse in the company as cleaning water, another disinfection stage or a filtering process is necessary. Current wineries that use our FBBR wastewater treatment plants achieve the following degree of purification:
| Parameter | COD | BOD5 | Ammonium nitrogen | Ntot | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Cleaning efficiency | <100 | <10 | <5 | <3 | <1 |
Ask us which process technology is best for your winery
Since this secondary sludge also still has a very high water content, sludge dewatering is worthwhile. One of the most efficient variants is a sludge screw press. Here, a screw pulls the sludge over a fine screen, allowing the water to drain off. With the FBBR process, it is also possible to channel the separated water back into the treatment plant after sludge dewatering.
How we realise the winery wastewater treatment plant design together
The winery wastewater treatment plant design is divided into the following steps:
- Wastewater analysis. It is important to carry out a comprehensive analysis of your wastewater. This allows us to determine the pollutant load of the wastewater and to give an initial prognosis for the most efficient treatment process. We operate an in-house laboratory staffed by leading chemists and biologists. This allows us to offer comprehensive and informative wastewater analysis to every customer worldwide. With this service, we combine a no-obligation quotation for a wastewater treatment plant that meets your individual requirements.
- Regulations. We need to know in advance exactly what regulations you need to comply with. These vary from country to country and from region to region. With these regulations, we know the purification performance that your treatment plant must achieve.
- Separation of solids. As described above, the separation of solids is a crucial step before the wastewater enters the treatment plant. Depending on the amount of wastewater, we offer either a drum screen or a screen screw here. Both processes can be easily integrated into the treatment plant.
- Treatment system. For wineries – no matter what size – it is advisable to install the treatment system on the company premises. For this purpose, we offer all our processes in sea containers. Depending on the requirements and type of wastewater, either a dissolved air flotation system, a fixed bed reactor or a combination of both processes are suitable.
- Disposal of waste materials. The waste materials are, on the one hand, the separated solids and, on the other hand, the resulting secondary sludge. For this, it is necessary to install a separate small collection tank. Dewatering the sludge reduces its volume by a factor of 10. This reduces the number of transports and the resulting costs.
- Control and maintenance. Our wastewater treatment plants are characterised by a simple user interface. This means that – after instruction and commissioning – your employees can make small changes to the cleaning performance on their own. Due to the robust workmanship and the use of high-quality materials, the system is durable and requires very little maintenance.
Get a free, no obligation site survey and consultation
Our services for you
Our goal is to provide each customer with outstanding wastewater treatment to meet regulatory requirements. To achieve this, we are happy to involve you in the entire planning process of your wastewater treatment plant. We visit you on site, take wastewater samples, send you the laboratory results, inform you about the design status and plan delivery, installation, and commissioning with you.
The training of your staff is particularly important to us. You and your team will receive a comprehensive overview of the cleaning performance and functions of your wastewater treatment plant.
Of course, we are also available during operation to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Our service team offers on-site maintenance, remote monitoring, remote access, and telephone support as required.
On request, we regularly take samples of the treated wastewater to check and record the cleaning performance. This enables you to demonstrate in detail at any time that your wastewater treatment plant complies with all limit values required for further use.
If you would like advice or a non-binding quotation, please feel free to contact us at any time.
