Manaf Farhan (1); (1) EMG International, LLC., Media, PA, U.S.A.
Sustainability
Poster
The craft brewing industry has enjoyed sustained robust growth over
the past decade. With the growth in production there has been a
corresponding increase in resulting wastewater and the associated
financial and regulatory burdens. Wastewater treatment for this industry
is now a necessary part of brewery operations for which brewers are
seeking more reliable and cost-effective solutions. The most common
biological wastewater treatment system is based on the conventional
activated sludge (CAS) process. Although CAS processes are reliable,
they generate significant waste sludge and carry high operating and
maintenance (O&M) costs. The emerging application of high-rate
anaerobic digestion (AD) technology for treating brewery wastewater
offers lower sludge generation and related O&M costs, renewable
energy generation, and reduced carbon footprint. This paper evaluates
CAS and high-rate AD technologies for brewery wastewater treatment by
providing process descriptions and comparing efficiency, reliability,
and O&M costs. A detailed description of the biological process and
typical system components for CAS and AD technology is provided. This
paper also provides a comparison of process reliability, removal
efficiency, recovery from cleaning chemicals and overloading conditions.
In addition, this paper outlines operational costs, including sludge
disposal, chemical usage, supplemental nutrient requirements, and
electricity consumption for CAS and AD systems.
Manaf H. Farhan is the president and CEO of EMG International,
based in Media, PA. He holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the
University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in environmental
engineering from Columbia University, and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in
systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a
licensed professional engineer. His doctoral research focused on design
and optimization of various anaerobic digester processes to maximize
process efficiency and biogas production. He has authored several
peer-reviewed articles on anaerobic digestion and has served as an
adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems
Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He has over 20 years of
experience providing a wide range of environmental engineering design
and consulting services to private industry and governmental clients.
His professional experience includes design and construction of digester
systems for wastewater treatment and biogas and electricity generation
for food and beverage facilities and for dairy farms; technical
evaluation, process modifications, and operational support for various
full-scale anaerobic digester installations; development and testing of
bench-scale and pilot-scale wastewater treatment systems; pollution
prevention and wastewater minimization audits; and biogas collection,
clean-up, and utilization.
