DESIGN OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN BEVERAGE INDUSTRY BY

TRICKLING FILTER AND CAUSTIC RECOVERY UNIT

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course

Seminars and Fieldtrips

By:

Ancheta, Nicole Ann K.

Celis, Jasmin J.

Laggui, Champagne C.

Trinidad, Jannica Julienne A.

April 2017

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 Chapter 1

Introduction

Beverage industry constitutes an important economic segment of any country despite

its discharging large volumes of highly polluting effluents throughout the year. In fact, beer is

the fifth most consumed beverage in the world behind tea, carbonates, milk and coffee. In

addition, cleaning of tanks, bottles, machines, and floors produces high quantities of polluted

water. It is estimated that for the production of 1 L of beverage such as beer and soft drinks, 3–

10 L of waste effluent is generated depending on the production and specific water usage. In

other words, very large quantities of water consumed during the process. Similarly, and

because of voluminous water usage, the beverage industry discharges large volumes of highly

polluting effluents throughout the year. It must also be noted that effluents from individual

process steps are variable. (Simate 2011)

The disposal of untreated (or partially treated) wastewater into water bodies can

constitute potential or severe pollution problems since the effluents contain organic compounds

that require oxygen for degradation. If water of high organic matter content value flows into a

river, the bacteria in the river will oxidize the organic matter consuming oxygen from the water

faster than the oxygen dissolves back in the river from the air. Furthermore, as regulations

become more and more stringent and the cost of water increases, the call for water recycling is

currently gaining a lot of momentum. (Simate 2011)

Bottle washing process in a beverage industry results in a large wastewater volume, but

it contains only a minor part of the total organics discharged from the processes. On the other

hand, effluents from fermentation and filtering are high in organics or biochemical oxygen

demand (BOD), but generally low in volume, accounting for about 3% of the total wastewater

volume but 97% of the BOD. Using Biological treatment or trickling filters that are cost-

effective method in which the wastewater is to pass through suitable media. When it comes to

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contact with a microbial layer generated on the surface of media where treatment is done with

degradation of organic matters by the microorganisms, in fact microbes oxidize pollutants and

reduce the organic and inorganic contaminants. (Binnie and Partners 1986)

Beverage industry in some countries is significant from a water intake and an effluent

discharge point of view. The information used for this paper has been gathered from detailed

research of different researchers particularly in Beverage Industry. (Amoatey 2011)

1.1 Aim and Objectives

The study generally focuses on the design of wastewater treatment in a beverage

industry. Specifically, the study aims to design a trickling filter in treating the wastewater of a

bottling plant. It also aims to design a caustic recovery unit to reduce the pH concentration of

wastewater generated from the bottle washing process for a high quality of effluent as well as

a reduced effluent volume. Environmental impacts of wastewater in the beverage industry will

also be evaluated.

1.2 Significance of the Study

Producing a high quality effluent from the production of beverages in bottling plants

has been a challenge to manufacturing facilities. On some cases, aquatic life span from the

ponds on a wastewater facility can only last for a few days. Trickling filters are considered a

viable alternative treatment due to its lower energy maintenance requirements and its ability to

treat variable organic loads and toxic substances (Bureau of Safe Drinking Water 2016). The

implementation of a trickling filter in a wastewater facility may be able to address such

circumstances because of the ability of trickling filters to produce a high, reliable quality

effluent. The implication of caustic recovery unit in the wastewater treatment process is the

reduction in effluent volume and reduced waste treatment costs.

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 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

2.1 Overview of Wastewater

Due to urbanization, the graph of environmental problems such as water supply,

wastewater generation, collection, its treatment, and disposal in urban areas have been raised.

The untreated Wastewater usually contains organic contaminants such as pesticides, oil, and

some inorganic pollutants like metals, ions, nitrates, sulphates, phosphate, arsenic cadmium,

mercury, lead, etc. Some microorganisms like fungi, bacteria, and viruses, were often found in

sewage water in an appreciable amount, which may cause a threat to community health. A large

quantity of sewage and other effluents released from urban areas and use of this wastewater in

beverage industry and other purposes depends on its contamination level. A small portion of

the generated wastewater goes to limited treatment before entering into rivers or surface water

bodies. Due to this addition of wastewater, the surface water quality is going to decrease and

the pollution is going to increase day by day. (Binnie and Partners 1986)

Untreated wastewater, which contains sludge and other commercial effluents, may flow

toward the rivers and finally find its way to irrigation canals. Moreover, it has a potential to

cause bacteriological diseases such as polio, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid, paratyphoid, and

bacterial infections. Wastewater from a beverage plant may be discharged in several ways

including the following: directly into a waterway (oceans, rivers, streams, or lakes), directly

into a municipal sewer system, into the waterway or municipal sewer system after the

wastewater has undergone some pretreatment, and into the beverage’s own wastewater

treatment plant. Hence, disposal of wastewater without treatment is a serious environmental

concern, and to get rid of these harms it is necessary to treat the wastewater before its disposal.

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Wastewater treatment cost can be reduced by applying those beneficial operations, which can

provide its proper reuse options. (Aslam 2017)

It is a costly for underdeveloped and developing countries. Less than 50% of the

globally generated wastewater is treated. Only 8% of domestic and industrial wastewater

receives treatment to only the primary level. Therefore, this paper addresses a Trickling Filter-

based Wastewater treatment system that utilizes beverage industrial waste with caustic

recovery unit as support medium. Moreover, the treated water will be available for other

application such as agriculture and in bodies of water. (Amoatey 2011)

2.2 Wastewater Characteristics

An understanding of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of wastewater is

very important in design, operation, and management of collection, treatment, and disposal of

wastewater. The nature of wastewater includes physical, chemical, and biological

characteristics which depend on the water usage in the community, the industrial and

commercial contributions, weather, and infiltrations (George Tchobanoglous,2003).

2.2.1 Physical Characteristics

When fresh, wastewater is gray in color and has a musty and not unpleasant odor. The

color gradually changes with time from gray to black. Foul and unpleasant odors may then

develop as a result of septic sewage. The most important physical characteristics of wastewater

are its temperature and its solids concentration. Temperature and solids content in wastewater

are very important factors for wastewater treatment process. Temperature affects chemical

reaction and biological activities. Solids, such as total suspended solids (TSS), volatile

suspended solids (VSS), and settleable solids, affect the operation and sizing of treatment units.

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2.2.2 Chemical Characteristics

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a measure of organic materials based on

measurement of the amount of oxidizing agent required to oxidize the organic materials. Total

Organic Carbon (TOC) is a measure of organic materials based on measurement of carbon in

the organic materials by combustion and measurement of CO2 evolves. Organic Nitrogen is the

amount of nitrogen in organic compounds such as protein and urea, ammonia nitrogen (NH3),

nitrite nitrogen (NO2-), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-)

2.2.3. Biological Characteristics

Bacteria, viruses, and parasites make up the biological characteristics of wastewater.

Wastewater contains vast quantities of bacteria and other organisms that originate in discharge

wastes. The feeding activities of these organisms assist in decomposing wastewater. Aerobic

bacteria decompose organic matter that is shut off from free oxygen, such as in the interior of

a mass of feces or a dead body. The products of anaerobic decomposition have an extremely

unpleasant odor. Matter in which this condition exists is said to be septic. A large number of

the bacteria in wastewater are coli form bacteria—those are found in the digestive tract of

normal humans. While most of these bacteria are harmless, pathogens will usually be present

in wastewater containing the discharges of many persons. It is these relatively few pathogenic

organisms that pose the greatest public health hazard. Wastewater that is not properly treated

may eventually find its way into a community water source and spread waterborne diseases.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is the amount of oxygen needed to stabilize

organic matter by micro- organisms. Nitrogenous Oxygen Demand is the amount of oxygen

needed to convert organic and ammonia nitrogen to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria.

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2.3 Sources of Wastewater

The quality and quantity of effluent can vary enormously depending on the size and

nature of the plant and the management practices implemented. Quantity is proportional to

fresh-water intake but is greatly influenced both by nature of the process and product, bottle-

washing, backwashing, rinse-water reclamation and management practices. The quality of

effluent is often influence by a reduced water intake (increased concentration), bottle washing

techniques, and the varying nature of the process. (Binnie and Partners 1986)

Table 2.1 Sources of Contaminants in a Typical Beverage Plant

Area Contribution

Water plant treatment Inorganic -water treatment chemicals, solids

Syrup room Cleansing chemicals, sucrose, flavorants

Bottle-washer Caustic and other cleansing chemicals, solids

Bottling/canning Solids, sucrose, flavorants

To assist in the control and managing of the pollution load it is recommended that the

flow volumes in the effluent stream be accurately monitored.

2.4 Conventional Methods of Wastewater

Conventional wastewater treatment consists of a combination of physical, chemical,

and biological processes and operations to remove solids, organic matter and, sometimes,

nutrients from wastewater. General terms used to describe different degrees of treatment, in

order of increasing treatment level, are preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary and/or

advanced wastewater treatment.

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2.4.1 Activated Sludge

In the activated sludge process, the dispersed-growth reactor is an aeration tank or basin

containing a suspension of the wastewater and microorganisms, the mixed liquor. The contents

of the aeration tank are mixed vigorously by aeration devices which also supply oxygen to the

biological suspension. Hydraulic retention time in the aeration tanks usually ranges from 3 to

8 hours but can be higher with high BOD5 wastewaters. Following the aeration step, the

microorganisms are separated from the liquid by sedimentation and the clarified liquid is

secondary effluent. A portion of the biological sludge is recycled to the aeration basin to

maintain a high mixed-liquor suspended solids (MLSS) level. The remainder is removed from

the process and sent to sludge processing to maintain a relatively constant concentration of

microorganisms in the system.

2.4.2 Rotating Biological Contractors

Rotating biological contactors (RBCs) are fixed-film reactors similar to bio filters in

that organisms are attached to support media. In the case of the RBC, the support media are

slowly rotating discs that are partially submerged in flowing wastewater in the reactor. Oxygen

is supplied to the attached biofilm from the air when the film is out of the water and from the

liquid when submerged, since oxygen is transferred to the wastewater by surface turbulence

created by the discs' rotation. Sloughed pieces of biofilm are removed in the same manner

described for bio filters.

2.4.3 Trickling Filters

Trickling filter is an attached-growth type of process in which microorganisms attached

to a medium are used for removing organic matter from wastewater. This type of system is

common to a number of technologies such as rotating biological contactors (RBCs) and packed

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bed reactors (bio towers). These reactors are also called as non-submerged fixed film biological

reactors. Trickling filter uses packing medium composed of crushed stone, slag, rock or plastic

cover which wastewater is distributed continuously. A rotary or stationary distribution

mechanism distributes wastewater from the top of the filter percolating it through the interstices

of the film-covered medium. As the wastewater moves through the filter, the organic matter is

adsorbed onto the film and degraded by a mixed population of aerobic microorganisms. The

oxygen required for organic degradation is supplied by air circulating through the filter induced

by natural draft or ventilation. As the biological film continues to grow, the microorganisms

near the surface lose their ability to cling to the medium, and a portion of the slime layer falls

off the filter. This process is known as sloughing. The sloughed solids are picked up by the

under-drain system and transported to a clarifier for removal from the wastewater.

Revolving Arms

Wastewater

Inlet

Stone media with

microorganisms

To
settler

2.5 Trickling Filter Design Models

The design of any wastewater treatment facility is to find the most economical solution

which will best accomplish the required amount of waste removal. When trickling filtration is

selected as the process to be used, the most economical filter design is desired. The cost of a

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trickling filter can be separated into the cost of construction and the cost of operation and

maintenance.

The principal question in the design of trickling filters is that of required volume. The

required volume is usually calculated from one of the efficiency formulas. In. this work three

formulas are studied the National. Research Council formula; the Eckenfelder formula; and the

Galler-Gotaas formula. These formulas for efficiency maybe solved for volume:

2.5.1 NRC equations

The following equation is used for a single-stage system and the first stage of a two-

stage system:

𝑆𝑒1 1
1−( )=
𝑆1 𝑄𝑆1 0.5
[1 + 0.532 (𝑉 𝐹 ) ]
1 1

(1 + 𝑟𝑖 )
𝐹1 = [ ]
(1 + 0.1𝑟𝑖 )2

The following equation is used for the second stage of a two-stage system:

𝑆𝑒2 1
1−( )=
𝑆𝑒1 𝑄𝑆 0.5
[1 + 0.532 ( 𝑉 𝐹𝑒1 ) ]
2 2

(1 + 𝑟2 )
𝐹2 = [ ]
(1 + 0.1𝑟2 )2

Where, V is the filter volume (m3) and F is the recirculation factor.

2.5.2 Eckenfelder equation

The Eckenfelder equation used for plastic media is as follows:

𝑆𝑒 𝑄𝑆𝑎𝑚 −𝑛
( ) = 𝑒𝑥𝑝 [−𝐾𝐷𝑆 ( ) ]
𝑆𝑖 𝐴

Where, K is the observed rate constant for a given filter depth (m/d), 𝑆𝑎 is the specific surface

area of the filter (m2/m3), D is the filter depth (m), Q is the wastewater flow rate ((m2/d), A is

the filter plan area (ft2), and m and n are empirical coefficients.

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2.6 Effluent Law Requirements

The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 aims to protect the country’s water bodies

from pollution from land-based sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture

and community/household activities). It provides for a comprehensive and integrated strategy

to prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory approach

involving all the stakeholders. This act pursues a policy of economic growth in a manner

consistent with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of fresh, brackish and

marine water (WQGGES 2016).

From section 7 of DAO-2016-08, General Effluent Standards, states that discharges

from any point source shall at all times meet the effluent standards set forth from section 7.1

to maintain the required water quality per water body classification. The GES shall be used

regardless of the industry category. All sources of sewage are required to comply with the law

(WQGGES 2016).

2.7 Bottle Washing in Beverage Industry

Glass bottled beverages is an efficient means in packaging various types of drinks such

as in carbonated drinks or in alcoholic drinks. The bottling process begins with the passing of

returnable bottles through a wash and rinse sequence. Careful inspection is done to the cleaned

bottles before they proceed in filling, crowning, labeling, packaging and shipping. During this

phase of production, wastewater is generated from bottle washing and rinsing, production line

spillage, equipment lubrication and wash downs. Wastewater from such processes may include

the waste blended syrup, syrup, detergents, lubricants and caustic (Hufemia 1996).

The bottle washing includes soaking or flushing the bottles with caustic soda solution

although some combine it with other cleansing agents such as soda ash, sodium aluminate, or

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tri sodium phosphate. The bottles are then scrubbed both inside and out before they are rinsed

with water (Jacobs 1959).

2.8 Bottle Washing Wastewater

Wastes from the bottle washer are highly alkaline in nature, since the washer consists

of a series of alkaline baths. Large amounts of suspended solids such as straws, cigarette butts

and paper lead to a high BOD concentration of the wastewater.

According to Fresnius et al. (1989), the amount of wastewater generated from bottling

industries can range from 166-223 L/100 bottles, with 107-123 L/100 bottles coming from

bottle washers alone.

Table 2.1 Quality of wastes from bottle washing for various beverages

Beverage BODs KMnO4 pH Settleable

substances
(mg/L) (mg/L)
(mg/L)

Wine 4.5-15 12-16 8.1-84 0-0.15

Milk 6.3-2.5 9.5-46 8.6-10.1 0.1

Beer 185-705 290-1930 9.5-11.9 0.2

Sweetened clear 295-600 928-1196 8.4-85 1.5-3.8

lemonade

Cola Drinks 340 1370 10.1 0.2

Fruit Juice 450 1320 9.4 2.5

Drinks

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References

Amoatey, P. et. al. "Wastewater Management." 2011.

Aslam, Mian M. Ahson et, al,. "Performance Evaluation of Trickling Filter-Based Wastewater

Treatment System Utilizing Cotton Sticks as Filter Media." 2017: Vol. 26, No. 5.

Binnie and Partners. "Waste and Waste-water Mangament in the Softdrinks Industry." 1986.

Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, Department of Environmental Protection. "Wastewater Treatment

Plant Operator Training." Module 20: Trickling Filters. 2016.

Fresnius, W., Schneider,W., Bohnke, B. and Poppinghaus, K. Waste Water Technology: Origin,

ollection, Treatment and Analysis of Wastewater. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1989.

Hosseini, B., M. Darzi, M. Sadeghpour, and M. Asadi. The Effect of the Sludge Recycle Ratio in an

Activated Sludge System for the Treatment of Amol's Industrial Park Wastewater, 2008.

Hufemia, Anna Marie M. "Caustic Soda Recovery In A Bottle Washing Plant Using Membrane

Technology." 1996.

Jacobs, M.B. "Manufacture and analysis of Carbonated Beverages." New York Chemical Engineering

Co. Inc., 1959.

Magtibay, Bonifacio. Philippine Regulations on Sanitation and Wastewater Systems, International

Edition, 2006.

"Philippines Sanitation Sourcebook and Decision Aid." Retrieved from

https://esa.un.org/iys/docs/san_lib_docs/philippines_sanitation.pdf., n.d.

Simate, Geoffrey S, et. al,. "The Treatment of Brewery Wastewater for Reuse: State of the Art."

2011.

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Sperling, Marcos von. Volume Five: Activated Sludge and Aerobic Biofilm Reactors. IWA Publishing,

2007.

wikipedia. trickling filter. n.d. www. wiki.com (accessed 2018).

WQGGES. "Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standard of 2016." Retrieved from

http://server2.denr.gov.ph/uploads/rmdd/dao-2016-08.pdf., 2016.

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