Wine Distillery Research Articles

Simultaneous photodegradation and ozonation plus UV radiation of phenolic acids—major pollutants in agro-industrial wastewaters

The degradation of four phenolic acids by single UV radiation and by the advanced oxidation process constituted by the combination of ozone and UV radiation has been conducted. The phenolic acids, caffeic, p-coumaric, syringic and vanillic, were selected because they are major pollutants which are present in wastewaters from the production of olive oil and from wine distillery plants. In the single photochemical oxidation, the influence of the operating variables is established and the quantum yields for each individual reaction are evaluated by means of a competitive kinetic method. In the combined ozone/UV radiation process, the generation of the hydroxyl radicals improves the degradation rate in comparison to the single oxidations performed: ozonation and UV photodegradation. ©1997 SCI

Thermophilic anaerobic degradation of distillery wastewater in continuous-flow fluidized bed bioreactors.

This paper reports and discusses a laboratory experiment that tested the anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) technology as a means for the treatment of concentrated industrial wastewater (wine distillery, vinasses) at thermophilic conditions. The purposes were to operate and characterize AFB under high organic loading conditions and to report on their steady-state performance. Experimentally, it was confirmed that AFB systems can achieve > 82.5% chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction at a COD loading of 32.3 kg of COD m-3 day-1 for treating vinasses of wine. At hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.46 day, the volumetric rate of methane generation was 5.8 m3 of CH4 m-3 day-1 with a methane yield of 0.33 m3 of CH4/kg of COD removal. The greatest efficiency of substrate removal was 97% for an organic loading rate of 5.9 kg of COD m-3 day-1 and HRT of 2.5 days. The food-to-microorganism (F:M) ratio can be used as a parameter for treatment performance evaluation of AFB. For vinasses, excellent COD reduction and methane production were achievable at the F:M ratio of 0.55 kg of COD kg-1 VSatt day-1 (more than 80% of feed COD was removed, and 9 m3 m-3 day-1 of methane was produced).

Treatment of Wine Distillery Waste in UASB Systems – Feasibility, Alkalinity Requirements and pH Control

Grape wine distillery waste developed a pelletised sludge bed in a UASB system. Product formation along the line of flow in the pelletised bed was similar to that when treating a pure carbohydrate, apple juice waste. Pelletised sludge production was about 0.14 mgVSS/mgCOD removed (as against 0.42 mgVSS/mgCOD removed for apple juice waste), indicating a low influent COD carbohydrate fraction. The pellets were not as compact as with apple juice waste and were smaller (< 2 mm). The distillery waste COD ranged from 20 000 to 30 000 mg/ℓ. An appreciable amount of H2CO3*alkalinity was generated internally due to deamination of proteins and removal of organic salts. Provided the system was operated with a recycle from the effluent to influent at a recycle ratio sufficiently high to dilute the base influent COD to an effective influent COD (CODe) < 2000 mg/ℓ, sufficient of the H2CO3*alkalinity generated internally was recycled to maintain a minimum sludge bed pH > 6.6. Recycle ratios as high as 33:1, reducing the base influent COD of 27 000 mg/ℓ to a CODe of 790 mg/ℓ, did not adversely affect COD removal. No nitrogen, phosphate or trace element supplementation was required. COD removal was greater than 94 percent for COD loading rates up to the maximum of 15 kg/(m3 sludge bed.d); the maximum COD loading rate was fixed by gas lifting pellets in to the settling section, not by process failure.

Experimental Investigation of Soil and Ground Water Impacts Caused by Vinasse Disposal

The problems caused by the residual effluents of wine distilleries for alcohol production are well known. The effluent effects in soil and groundwater are being researched in an area with sugar cane culture which receives; yearly, vinasse by dispersion. Samples are being collected from the soil, the groundwater and the existing creeks in the area Four sub-areas are being monitored separately with a vinasse application of 300 m3/ha year. Experimentation periods in each area have been 0, 5, 10 and 15 years. In the unsaturated zone, samples are being collected at depths of 25, 75 and 150 cm. The chemical analyses include macro and micro nutrients, organic matter and pH. Physical analyses give the soil water retention, hydraulic conductivity and soil particle distribuition. These measurements permit the evatution of nitrogen absorption and fertility changes of the soil. A tendency for the maintenance of soil fertility can be observed but with an elevation of nitrate concentration in groundwater.

Production of Protein for Animal Feed Stuff Using Organic Wastewaters from Wine Distilleries

In the course of a German-Portuguese research project, the possibilities of protein production from wine distillation wastewaters have been investigated. The method used is a single stage aeration system preceded by sedimentation. The process is characterized by good pollution removal efficiency and a high production of biosludge of high quality for animal feed stuff. The project can be regarded as promising.

Aerobic treatment of wine-distillery wastewaters.

Waste from food-processing and allied industries is largely made up of organic compounds which can be metabolized by aerobic or anaerobic means. However, these wastes present a series of problems to biological depuration plants, such as the need for prior treatment to establish conditions suitable for the development of the microorganisms responsible for the process; and the long retention time of the biomass if acceptable effluents are to be obtained. Again, the seasonal nature of many of these industries makes for very heterogeneous waste. This means that treatment plant must be versatile and are subject to rapid successions of close-down and start-up interspersed with long intervals of inactivity. All these difficulties oblige the industries in the sector to adapt depurative technology to their particular needs. Wine distilleries fall into this general category. Their waste (called vinasses) is acidic, has a high organic content and varies widely according to the raw matter distilled: wine, lies, etc. This paper studies the start-up of digestors for aerobic treatment of vinasses and the establishment of optimum operating conditions for an adequate depurative performance.

Recovery of materials from the wastewater from wine distilleries by drying the mixture of solid and liquid wastes

INTRODUCTION THE PRODffCT[ON of 1 million hectolitres of wine gives 20,000-25,000 tons of by-products, an average of 6000 tons of wine dregs and 16,000 tons of (pressed grapes), containing 55-60 per cent of moisture. One ton of marc is composed of 249 kg of rafles,~. 225 kg of grape stones and 425 kg of grape pellicles. After distillation the pressed grapes are in general dried and the grape stones are separated from the stalks and pellicles, then ground to extract their content of edible oil, about 10 per cent of their weight. The dry stalks and pellicles constitute the mould. Distillation of pressed grapes and of wine dregs separates alcohol from wastes. When 1 ton of pressed grapes is treated by a diffusion process, the volume of effluent reaches 1-1.300 m 3 but by repeated recycling (15-20 times) the volume of spent wine is much lessened and does not exceed 50-70 1. ton-1 of marc. The wine dregs are first dried in order to separate the tartar, then diluted to facilitate their flow through the distillation pipes; the volume of water is one and a half or two times that of the dregs distilled. From 1 ton of pressed-grapes 200 kg of mould dried to a percentage of 10 per cent humidity are obtained. The mould and dregs in the waste are in the relative propor t ion0f 1:5 to 4:5. Until recently the effluent of wine dregs distillation was disposed of by lagooning or discharging it to a water-course. Undiluted waste has a BOD5 of more than 100,000. A wine distillery discharging 100 m 3 effluent per day produces a level of pollution equal to that of a town of 200,000 inhabitants.