This is an illustrative scenario showing how Reynolds & Bauhm equipment can be configured for this application. Every site has unique requirements — contact us for a solution tailored to your specific wastewater characteristics.
Seasonal combined brewery-dairy wastewater facility processing 400 m3/day. Brewery operations produce COD 6,000 mg/L with seasonal hops resins (July-September). Dairy whey and cream residues add COD 3,500 mg/L, fat 650 mg/L, lactose 1,200 mg/L, and phosphates 45 mg/L. Combined influent COD 8,000 mg/L, pH swings from brewery pH 4.2 to dairy caustic CIP pH 11.5. Discharge requires COD <80 mg/L, fat <5 mg/L, colour <50 Pt-Co, conductivity <250 µS/cm for direct stream discharge. Site requires fully automated operation with 6-month seasonal shutdown capability when dairy is offline. Key challenges: hops resins are ozone-reactive, lactose creates BOD spikes, variable pH from CIP cycles, phosphate scaling risk on RO membranes.
Step-by-step process configuration from raw wastewater to compliant discharge.
Heated DAF at 40°C with automatic pH adjustment to 6.5-7.5 before flotation. Ferric chloride (300 mg/L) precipitates dairy phosphates and coagulates fats. Cationic polymer (2 mg/L) ensures reliable float formation even with hops resin interference. Fat removal 90%, phosphate removal 70%, COD reduced from 8,000 to 5,500 mg/L. Float sludge at 12% solids recovered for fat rendering. Temperature control critical — fat solidifies at <35°C causing pipe blockages.
First stage: anionic polymer (1.5 mg/L) plus PAC (150 mg/L as Al2O3) captures colloidal brewery proteins and hops resins at pH 6.0. Second stage: pH raised to 8.0 with NaOH, ferric chloride (100 mg/L) precipitates remaining phosphates and colour. Lamella clarifier after each stage. Combined coagulation reduces COD from 5,500 to 2,800 mg/L, removes 85% of hops colour, and captures 80% of remaining phosphates. Automated based on online turbidity measurement.
Ozonation at 30 mg/L dose with 20-minute contact time. Ozone destroys hops-derived colour compounds (reducing 400 to <40 Pt-Co units) and oxidises dairy lactose to biodegradable fragments. COD reduced from 2,800 to 1,200 mg/L. Residual ozone quenched with sodium bisulfite (5 mg/L) before GAC to protect carbon. Ozone generator rated 1.5 kg O3/h with oxygen concentrator feed. UV absorption at 254 nm monitors oxidation completeness.
Three-column GAC system: first column removes residual ozone byproducts and trace organics (EBCT 20 min), second column polishes colour to <20 Pt-Co (EBCT 25 min), third column acts as biofilm carrier for ozone-created biodegradable fragments. Combined COD reduced from 1,200 to 150 mg/L. Headloss monitored across each column. Carbon replacement every 18 months based on iodine number <600 mg/g. Backwash every 48 hours to remove biomass.
Single-pass BWRO with specialised phosphate anti-scalant (5 mg/L) prevents calcium phosphate scaling at pH 7.5. 5-micron cartridge pre-filtration. 88% water recovery. COD reduced from 150 to <25 mg/L. Conductivity from 2,200 to <150 µS/cm. RO concentrate (12%) contains accumulated salts and antiscalant — disposed to evaporation pond. Permeate meets stream discharge standards with COD <80 mg/L, fat <1 mg/L, conductivity <250 µS/cm.
Complete SCADA-controlled seasonal operation. When dairy season ends (April-October), system automatically reduces to brewery-only mode at 200 m3/day. DAF heating reduces to 35°C. Ozone dose drops to 15 mg/L. RO recovery increases to 92%. Full restart from cold standby to operational in 4 hours with pre-programmed sequence. CIP system cleans all wetted surfaces with caustic and citric acid cycles during extended shutdowns.
The specific equipment selected for this application, sized for the flow rate and contaminant load.
DAF 20 m3/h with automatic pH control, 40°C heating, ferric/polymer dosing, 0.5 MPa saturation.
View EquipmentTwo SS clarifiers 60 m2 each, two-stage coagulation separation, 5 m/h upflow, auto desludge.
View EquipmentCorona discharge 1.5 kg O3/h, O2 concentrator feed, UV254 residual monitor, contact tower.
View EquipmentThree columns 2.5 m diameter, 20+25 min EBCT, biofilm carrier function, auto backwash.
View EquipmentBWRO 8-inch membranes, phosphate antiscalant, 88% recovery, conductivity <150 µS/cm.
View EquipmentRepresentative performance data based on typical operating conditions for this equipment configuration.
Explore the full range of equipment used in this and similar applications.
Ferric, PAC, NaOH, polymer, bisulfite, antiscalant preparation with automated control.
View EquipmentMulti-point pH control for DAF pre-conditioning, coagulation, and RO inlet.
View EquipmentPSA oxygen generator feeding ozone generator, 95% O2 purity, 10 Nm3/h.
View EquipmentFull automation with seasonal mode switching, remote monitoring, alarm management.
View EquipmentDiscover how these treatment processes connect to form complete wastewater treatment solutions.
Ozone oxidation for hops colour destruction and lactose breakdown.
Heated DAF for dairy fat and brewery solids removal.
Two-stage coagulation for phosphate and hops resin removal.
Multi-column GAC with biological carrier for ozonated organics.
RO polishing with phosphate antiscalant for final water quality.
Automated seasonal operation and remote process control.
Our engineers will adapt this equipment configuration to your specific wastewater analysis, flow rate, and discharge requirements.
Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.