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Introduction
Wineries present a challenge for treatment of wastewater. Vintage runs for only 3 months a year, during which time the bulk of wastewater is generated (typically over 80 %). The rest of the time wastewater is significantly lower in strength and volume. Wineries are typically located in rural locations and consequently treatment systems involved a series of lagoons, followed by irrigation of effluent. This is not always the case, and there are occasions where minimal treatment is undertaken, and poor quality wastewater irrigated. Biological treatment of wastewater, via lagoons or conventional processes enables improvement of wastewater quality by reducing contaminants from the stream prior to application. Biologically treated effluents are typically suitable for irrigation. By building treatment barriers into the treatment process, then more contaminants would be reduced, which potentially enables a wider use for the effluent. Lagoon systems can remove the bulk of BOD and SS, but filtration and other physical / chemical processes can enhance the quality to minimise irrigator blockages or enable other uses.
Pond systems typically comprise a treatment train, which involves a series of ponds anaerobic / facultative, aerobic / maturation. The appropriate train / series is dependent on loading, and ponds must be properly designed to cater for oxygen requirements to reduce the BOD to acceptable levels as well as minimise odours.
Lagoon treatment systems .. common and appropriate, but beware limitations and operational requirements, especially during vintage
Largely because of the above advantages of lagoon system they are generally regarded as the most sustainable type of treatment process (except in cases where there are space limitations).
composted product (an aerobic process), which provides a good source of soil conditioning material. Composting may be undertaken on-site or off-site at a licensed operator. For anaerobic digestion, as marc and less are solid wastes, greater mixing / slurry generation would be required to increased process efficiency (which is a higher level of efficiency typically provided in a simple lagoon system). This may involve a constructed reactor with mixing and involve elevated temperatures (anaerobic microbes operate optimally at 30 35oC). The resultant biogas can be used to generate energy for this purpose. Wastes of low BOD concentration may not provide sufficient methane for heating, and a supplementary source of heat is necessary (which will incur additional cost). However, heating is only required when there is a need to increase the efficiency of the anaerobic process, and thermal heat from an electricity generation process may be used for this purpose. Other uses for the generation of power would be hot water generation and general electricity use (either for aeration of the treatment system or power / lighting around the winery). Relying on biogas production during non-vintage periods can be an issue, so either there must be gas / electrical supply back up, or the operator must consider taking other supplementary waste products for digestion. Anaerobic lagoons are rare at wineries, because of the vintage / non-vintage period (the treatment system receives a high volume and organic load for only 3 months, and receives a low volume / organic load for 9 months). There are ways around this, and what is typically overlooked is that anaerobic systems can lie dormant for long periods of time (although start-up must be managed to avoid shock loading at the onset of the vintage). During the projected digester feed shortfall (non-vintage period), feed to digestion could be supplemented with waste solids from the aerobic wastewater treatment, and perhaps other liquid wastes at the site or external to the site (dairy or cattle wastes).
Sustainable Operation
Like everyone in industry nowadays, there is an onus to find a sustainable solution in all activities undertaken. Whilst there are a number of definitions, it is really about finding the right cycle and achieving environmental, economic and social outcomes. There are broad opportunities to achieve a largely sustainable operation at wineries through: Treatment of wastewater to produce an effluent quality for irrigation (making use of the used water, and regarding it as a resource rather than a waste product); Application of residuals by-product use for compost production to provide a rich non-putrescible organic resource which may be used to improve soil qualities / general beneficial application. Achievement of a sustainable operation may be further enhanced through application of anaerobic digestion (for wastewater residuals and marc / lees) for generation of biogas, which would be used for energy production / use at the winery and wastewater treatment plant. This approach makes good economic sense as well as providing environmental and social improvements. There is a significant outlay in terms of setting up such an operation, and this has, in the past, contributed to avoidance of the approach. However, if you take into account the costs of residuals management for marc and lees, as well as the potential cost of rehabilitating land, which has been stressed from sub-standard effluent or other wastes, then the payback is very short.
Electrical energy
M arc / Lees
Cogeneration Gas
Aerobic Treatment
residuals Treated Effluent
Anaerobic Treatment
residuals
Composting
Soil enrichm ent program
Contact
Mitchell Laginestra is GHD Technical leader for Industrial wastewater Management, and may be contacted s at his e-mail address: mitchell.laginestra@ghd.com.au