Wastewater Treatment at Alcohol Distilleries

ZIKO Company — a Leader in the Water Treatment Market of Western Ukraine

For more than 30 years, ZIKO has been designing, developing, manufacturing, and installing equipment for wastewater treatment at alcohol distilleries, industrial enterprises, multi-apartment residential buildings, and private houses. Qualified personnel, in-house production, and a wide range of efficient water treatment systems and filtration units enable the company to handle even the most complex technical tasks.

At the initial stage of cooperation, company specialists conduct a detailed wastewater analysis to determine the presence and concentration of contaminants. Based on the results, equipment for wastewater treatment at alcohol production facilities is designed or selected and installed to remove the identified impurities. All water treatment services and implemented solutions are provided with a quality guarantee.

Purpose of Wastewater Treatment at an Alcohol Distillery

The primary raw materials for alcohol production include sugar beet, potatoes, and cereal crops. During their preparation and processing, large volumes of clean water are required for the following operations:

• Potatoes — washing of raw materials, rinsing of starch extracted from tubers, and cleaning of equipment used for filtration, dewatering, and evaporation of starch syrup.
• Cereal crops — washing and soaking during malting, cleaning of process equipment, malting screens, steam boilers, chemical treatment filters, and humidification of malting chambers.
• Sugar beet — washing of raw materials, cleaning of equipment after molasses processing, filter regeneration, and rinsing of equipment used in alcohol production.

After these technological processes, the wastewater contains large mechanical and organic impurities, biologically oxidizable substances, foreign microflora, and in some cases pathogenic microorganisms. All of these contaminants have a negative impact on the environment.

High-quality wastewater treatment in alcohol production ensures the effective removal of these pollutants. Treated water can be safely discharged into sewer systems, natural water bodies, soil, or reused in technological processes.

Methods and Equipment for Wastewater Treatment in Alcohol Production

Comprehensive Wastewater Treatment at an Alcohol Distillery involves the use of equipment implementing several water treatment methods:

• Mechanical treatment — removal of large solid particles from wastewater generated during alcohol production.
• Equalization (mixing of wastewater with varying concentrations) for subsequent feeding to the flotation unit.
• Flotation with coagulants and flocculants — conversion of colloidally stable and finely dispersed contaminants into larger agglomerates.
• Biological wastewater treatment in alcohol production processes.

Mechanical Wastewater Treatment at an Alcohol Distillery

Preliminary mechanical treatment of wastewater in alcohol production allows for the removal of suspended and solid particles. For this purpose, special screens and steel grates are used to retain large mechanical impurities and fine fibrous fractions. After this stage, the treated water is transferred to the next treatment step.

Equalization — the Next Stage of Wastewater Treatment in Alcohol Production

During wastewater treatment at alcohol production facilities, effluents are supplied to treatment units unevenly, due to:

• Hourly, shift-based, and daily fluctuations in wastewater volumes;
• Shock discharges following equipment washing;
• Emergency discharges caused by technological equipment failures.

Not only the volume but also the concentration of contaminants in the wastewater fluctuates. Therefore, to reduce the load on treatment equipment and ensure maximum treatment efficiency, equalization tanks are installed. These tanks stabilize both the contaminant concentration and the volume of wastewater.

Flotation — Wastewater Treatment in Alcohol Production Using Coagulants and Flocculants

Flotation is a method of wastewater treatment at alcohol distilleries carried out in special flotation units using air bubbles. Contaminants present in the wastewater adhere to the oxygen bubbles generated by the flotators and rise to the surface together with the air in an insoluble form.

To create optimal conditions and accelerate the flotation process, special reagents are applied:

• Mineral coagulants — aluminum, iron, and magnesium salts, lime;
• Organic and inorganic flocculants — alginates, yeast, starch, sodium silicate (activated silicic acid).

During flotation-based wastewater treatment in alcohol production, flotation sludge forms on the water surface as a contaminant-rich foam. This sludge is removed and directed to dewatering units.

Biological Wastewater Treatment in Alcohol Production

Biological Wastewater Treatment at an Alcohol Distillery can be carried out using two types of equipment:

• Aeration tanks — treatment units in which contaminated water is mixed with activated sludge by an air flow and saturated with oxygen. This ensures intensive biochemical oxidation of organic substances.
• Biofilters — tanks or artificial ponds equipped with drainage layers of filtering material (gravel, slag) at the bottom and covered with a biological film of aerobic bacteria. Contaminants are absorbed and oxidized by these microorganisms.

Biological wastewater treatment at alcohol distilleries provides the highest level of purification. The treated effluent is brought into compliance with regulatory requirements and can be safely discharged onto soil, into open water bodies, or reused in technological processes.

Sludge Disposal

The sludge generated during wastewater treatment in alcohol production can be handled in the following ways:

• Pumped out by vacuum trucks and disposed of in accordance with applicable regulations and legal requirements;
• Dewatered and transported to landfills designated for solid household waste storage;
• Used as fertilizer for agricultural crop cultivation.

Do you still have questions regarding wastewater treatment at alcohol distilleries, equipment characteristics, or water treatment methods? Please call or send an email using the contact details provided in the “Contacts” section. Our specialists will provide professional консультації, help you select the most optimal technology, and recommend efficient water treatment equipment for alcohol production facilities.