Winery Wastewater Treatment Research Articles

Winery wastewater treatment by microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana and characterization of the produced biomass for value-added products.

The microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana was used for the treatment of winery wastewater (WWW). Batch experiments were initially conducted to investigate how biomass acclimatization in different media, dilution of wastewater, and addition of ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) affect the growth of microalgae and the removal of major pollutants. Afterwards, two sequencing batch reactor (SBR) systems were tested applying different configurations and hydraulic retention times. The biomass collected at the end of the experiments was characterized for proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, amino acid profile, and the existence of lutein, β-carotene, chlorophyll a, and tocopherols. Batch experiments showed that Chlorella sorokiniana acclimatization to urban wastewater enhanced the removal of NH4-N and total phosphorus (TP). The operation of a two-stage SBR system achieved COD and NH4-N removal equal to 85 ± 9% and 91 ± 20%, respectively, while the use of a single-stage system feeding with anaerobically pretreated WWW resulted to COD and NH4-N removal of 78 ± 9% and 95 ± 9%, respectively. Analyses of biomass showed higher protein content (up to 58.8%) in batch experiments with NH4-N addition as well as in SBR experiments. The cultivation of microalgae under SBR conditions enhanced the production of pigments and tocopherols. The maximum concentrations of 1075mgkg-1, 45.5mgkg-1, and 131.2mgkg-1 were achieved for lutein, β-carotene, and tocopherols, respectively, in the one-stage system. Our findings suggested that Chlorella sorokiniana cultivation in WWW not only removed nutrients from WWW but also could potentially serve for the production of value-added ingredients used in food industry, cosmetics, and animal feedstock.

Emergy Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment for Evaluating the Sustainability of Solar-Integrated Ecotechnologies in Winery Wastewater Treatment

Emergy Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment for Evaluating the Sustainability of Solar-Integrated Ecotechnologies in Winery Wastewater Treatment

Nitrate increases the capacity of an aerobic moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for winery wastewater treatment.

We used bench-scale tests and mathematical modeling to explore chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates in a moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for winery wastewater treatment, using either urea or nitrate as a nitrogen source. With urea addition, the COD removal fluxes ranged from 34 to 45 gCOD/m2-d. However, when nitrate was added, fluxes increased up to 65 gCOD/m2-d, twice the amount reported for aerobic biofilms for winery wastewater treatment. A one-dimensional biofilm model, calibrated with data from respirometric tests, accurately captured the experimental results. Both experimental and modelling results suggest that nitrate significantly increased MBBR capacity by stimulating COD oxidation in the deeper, oxygen-limited regions of the biofilm. Our research suggests that the addition of nitrate, or other energetic and broadly used electron acceptors, may provide a cost-effective means of covering peak COD loads in biofilm processes for winery or another industrial wastewater treatment.

A membrane-assisted green strategy for purifying bioactive compounds from extracted white wine lees

This work was aimed at investigating the recovery of wine-derived bioactive compounds from white wine lees through a combination of hydroalcoholic extraction and membrane-based operations, as a potential alternative for winery wastewater treatment and valorisation.Hydroalcoholic extracts obtained in selected conditions of solid–liquid ratio, extraction time and working temperature (1:10, 25 % and 32 ± 2 °C, respectively) were previously clarified by ultrafiltration (UF) in order to produce a clarified solution free of suspended solids and colloidal substances. The concentration of bioactive compounds from the clarified extract was investigated by using three different spiral-wound NF membranes with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) in the range of 200–1000 Da (TS40, XN45 and NP010, all from Microdyn-Nadir); their performance was analysed in terms of productivity, fouling index and retention towards target compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids, sugars) and antioxidant activity.Low molecular weight polyphenols (i.e. gallic acid, catechin, vanillic acid, epicatechin and caffeic acid) were highly rejected by the selected membranes despite their difference in MWCO; on the other hand, the rejection index for total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoids and glucose was in agreement with the MWCO. The TS40 membrane, with a lowest cut-off (200–300 Da), showed the highest rejection for flavonoids (100 %) and rejections for total phenolic compounds of 85 % resulting in concentrated fractions containing 1.7 g of gallic acid equivalents per liter (GAE/L); most of the components analysed in the retentate samples showed a concentration factor of approximately 3.5 in agreement with the weight reduction factor of the NF process. The analysis of fouling mechanisms according to the Hermia’s model revealed that the cake filtration mechanism was the predominant one for all selected NF membranes.

Wastewater Treatment Using Shear Enhanced Flotation Separation Technology: A Pilot Plant Study for Winery Wastewater Processing

The agricultural sector is one that requires and consumes enormous amounts of fresh water globally. Commercial wine production in particular uses large volumes of fresh water and, through various processes, generates significant quantities of wastewater. The wastewater produced by wineries typically exhibits elevated levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), an acidic pH, and varying salinity and nutrient contents. The overall characteristics of winery wastewater indicate that it is a potential environmental hazard if not processed and disposed of appropriately. Due to significant variations in wastewater contaminant levels among wineries, the implementation of a universally applicable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable waste management system seems practically unattainable. This study investigated the design, fabrication, and modification of a shear enhanced flotation separation (SEFS) pilot plant to be used as a primary treatment stage during winery wastewater processing. This technology combines the synergistic advantages of hydrodynamic shear, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation. To date, there have been only limited publications on the feasibility and application of hydrodynamic shear and its potential to assist with coagulation/flocculation and flotation efficiencies specifically for winery wastewater treatment. The results obtained indicate that the SEFS pilot plant may well be able to process winery wastewater to a quality level where reuse of the water for irrigation of crops may be considered.

Enhancing Anaerobic Digestion with an UASB Reactor of the Winery Wastewater for Producing Volatile Fatty Acid Effluent Enriched in Caproic Acid

The production of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) from wastewater holds significant importance in the context of biorefinery concepts due to their potential as valuable precursors for various bio-based processes. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to investigate the fermentation of Winery Wastewater (WW) in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor to generate VFAs, with particular emphasis on Caproic Acid (HCa) production and the dynamics of the microbiota, under varying Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) periods (8, 5, and 2.5 h). The change from an 8 h to a 5 h HRT period resulted in an approximately 20% increase in total VFA production. However, when the HRT was further reduced to 2.5 h, total VFA production decreased by approximately 50%. Concerning the specific production of HCa, expressed in grams of Chemical Oxygen Demand (gCOD), the maximum yield was observed at around 0.9 gCOD/L for a 5-h HRT. Microbial population analysis revealed that Eubacteria outnumbered Archaea across all HRTs. Population dynamics analysis indicated that the Firmicutes Phylum was predominant in all cases. Within this phylum, bacteria such as Clostridium kluyveri and Clostridium sp., known for their ability to produce HCa, were identified. Based on the results obtained, the application of the UASB reactor for WW treatment, within the biorefinery framework, has the potential to provide a practical alternative for HCa production when operated with a 5 h HRT.

A Practical Approach for Biochemical Modeling in the CFD Evaluation of Novel Anaerobic Digester Concepts for Biogas Production

The detailed physics-based description of anaerobic digesters is characterized by their multiscale and multiphysics nature, with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations being the most comprehensive approach. In practice, difficulties in obtaining a detailed characterization of the involved biochemical reactions hinder its application in the design of novel reactor concepts, where all physics interplays in the reactor must be considered. To solve this limitation, a practical approach is introduced where a calibration step using actual process data was applied for the simplified biochemical reactions involved, allowing us to efficiently manage uncertainties arising when characterizing biochemical reactions with lab scale facilities. A complete CFD modeling approach is proposed for the anaerobic digestion of wastewater, including heat transfer and multiphasic flow. The proposed multiphase model was verified using reference data and, jointly with the biochemical modeling approach, applied to a lab-scale non-conventional anaerobic digester for winery wastewater treatment. The results showed qualitative improvement in predicting methane production when the diameter of the particles was reduced, since larger particles tend to move downwards. The biochemistry of the process could be simplified introducing a preexponential factor of 380 (kmol/m3)(1 – n)/s for each considered chemical reaction. In general, the proposed approach can be used to overcome limitations when using CFD to scale-up optimization of non-conventional reactors involving biochemical reactions.

Evaluation of the anaerobic digestion of winery wastewater: Effect of fly ash in anaerobic sequencing batch reactor

The addition of fly ash (FA) to an anaerobic reactor has been studied mainly in batch tests. Nevertheless, the FA effect on the continuous operation of an anaerobic bioreactor has not been addressed. Therefore, the present work shows the effect of FA on the continuous operation of anaerobic sequencing reactors (ASBRs) treating winery wastewater. Two ASBRs were used and operated continuously for 302 days under mesophilic conditions with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 days. The effect of the organic loading rate (ORL) on the operation was investigated for 204 days. After that, to evaluate the effect of FA as an anaerobic digestion (AD) enhancer, one of the reactors was dosed with 25 mg L−1 of FA for 98 days. The FA dosages allowed an increase in methane production and organic matter removal by 75% and 42%, respectively, concerning the system without FA. Furthermore, the importance of FA in the process was demonstrated by obtaining a yield of 334 NmL CH4 COD removed−1. This result represented a 12% increase compared to the yield previously obtained in the same reactor before adding the FA. Additionally, acetic acid and propionic acid were the predominant volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the process. Finally, the metals present in the digested sludge after FA addition did not exceed the limits allowed by Chilean legislation.

Winery Wastewater Treatment: a Systematic Review of Traditional and Emerging Technologies and Their Efficiencies

Winery Wastewater Treatment: a Systematic Review of Traditional and Emerging Technologies and Their Efficiencies

Optimization of Fenton process conditions in winery wastewaters treatment followed by ion exchange process to recover iron

Fenton’s oxidation has been widely studied for treatment of winery wastewater (WW). However, the generation of iron sludges imposes a significant drawback for this treatment process. Consequently, an integrated methodology was tested involving the application of ion exchange resins that recover dissolved iron without sludge production in Fenton’s Process. The aim of this study is optimizing Fenton oxidation for the abatement of COD in WW. Using a methodology design of experiments (DOE), Fenton process was able to remove up to 57% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) when pH 3, reaction time 1 h, [H2O2] = 0.15 molL−1 and [H2O2]/[Fe2+] = 15 were applied. A cationic ion-exchange resin, Dowex Marathon C, was able to recover iron present in the effluent after the oxidation process. Continuous and discontinuous trials were conducted in this scope for the synthetic solution and the real effluent after Fenton. The innovative methodology of using IE to circumvent Fenton's peroxidation limitation will surely lead to a widespread application of IE in the treatment of industrial effluents.

Metabolic Functional Profiles of Microbial Communities in Methane Production Systems Treating Winery Wastewater

This study investigated the impact of process configuration and conditions on microbial communities and metabolic pathways in the anaerobic digestion of winery effluents. Four system configurations were analyzed for taxonomic and functional profiles using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Tax4Fun2. Sporolactobacillus, Prevotella, and Acetobacter dominated (> 70%) in the acidogenic reactor with 5277 conserved functions across configurations. In the methanogenic reactor, methane production relied on Methanosaeta in the single-stage configuration (13%) and five archaea genera in the two-stage configuration (18%). Thermophilic conditions favored syntrophic acetate oxidation and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis by Methanothermobacter (65%), significantly changing due to temperature. The two-stage configuration exhibited 3.0 times higher functional redundancy than the single-stage configuration. Mesophilic conditions displayed 2.5 times greater functional redundancy than thermophilic conditions. High organic loading rate and short hydraulic retention time reduced functional redundancy by 1.5 times. Assessing microbial functionality beyond their composition is crucial to understand stability and performance of anaerobic digestion systems.

Shear Enhanced Flotation Separation Technology in Winery Wastewater Treatment

The process of wine making is well known to produce large amounts of wastewater with highly variable characteristics. The disposal of untreated winery wastewater is strictly prohibited since it adversely affects the recipient environment. Due to the variability in characteristics of winery wastewater, developing a treatment system which can handle high organic and inorganic loads, especially during the vintage season, is a complex challenge. This study investigated the theory, methodology and implementation of a wastewater treatment technology called shear enhanced flotation separation (SEFS) as a potential primary treatment stage towards the treatment of winery wastewater. Winery effluent was subjected to a coagulation process in a high shear environment, with and without the introduction of air, followed by flocculation. Upon successful optimization of operating parameters, a polymeric-based coagulant AB121 and polyelectrolyte flocculant AB796 yielded the highest reduction in turbidity (95%) with typical values of 630 NTU for the raw wastewater and 25 NTU for the SEFS-treated effluent. A substantial reduction in total suspended solids (97%) was achieved with average raw winery wastewater values of 2275 mg/L compared to the 50 mg/L obtained for the SEFS-treated effluent. Furthermore, a notable reduction (54%) in COD (from 11,250 mg/L to 5220 mg/L) using SEFS technology was achieved.

Biosand reactors for remediation of winery effluent in support of a circular economy and the positive effect of sand fractionation on hydraulic and operational performance

There is an extensive body of knowledge pertaining to the treatment of winery wastewater and other acidic effluents in biosand reactors. This manuscript compares the performance of biosand reactors containing raw sand and fractionated sand. Fractionation of sand (particles <0.425 mm removed) increased the hydraulic conductivity of the sand matrix 9-fold when compared to raw sand: from 0.285 mm·s−1 to 2.50 mm·s−1 and 0.129 mm·s−1 to 1.11 mm mm·s−1 before and after start-up, respectively. Similar results for both sands were obtained in terms of organic removal performance (94 % and 95 %, respectively) and neutralization of acidic (pH 4.9) winery wastewater. Results indicate that one 5.6 m3 biosand reactor module containing 2.9 m3 of fractionated sand can theoretically treat 8102 L·d−1, which is the approximate volume generated from wineries crushing 329 to 547 t of grapes per annum. This is notably higher than the design flow rate of 1000 L·d−1 in used in a pilot system containing raw sand. Furthermore, a zero-waste biosand reactor model is presented for treatment of winery wastewater. The strategy includes reuse of treated effluent for irrigation, anaerobic digestion of primary winery wastewater sludge and use of the digestate as an agricultural fertilizer, and re-purposing of the residual sand.

Recovery of Value-Added Compounds from Winery Wastewater: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Value-Added Compounds (VACs) are molecules that have attracted great attention in the literature regarding their potential for integration into existing processes or products. In Winery Wastewater (WW), VACs are valuable because of their antioxidant characteristics. Furthermore, integrated systems for recovery of these molecules and treatment of WW can be a powerful strategy towards an environmentally efficient way of wine production. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to establish the status and trace research trends on that topic. The analysis investigated the Web of Science database from 1953–2023, where the software VOSviewer® and R were used. Secondly, an extensive literature review was carried out on VACs recovery from WW by membrane process, which was identified as a promising strategy. As a result, the historical evolution of publications has a growing behavior while citations take time to grow. The most productive authors, journals, and countries were analyzed, with Spain being the leading country in publications on that topic. Lastly, keyword mapping revealed the relevance of “circular economy” and “biorefinery” as knowledge transfer concepts where both traditional and emergent technologies are connected towards the achievement of sustainable development goals. The recovery of phenolic compounds from wine production through membrane processes stands out as a promising technology. Different recovery approaches using membrane processing were assessed in the review. Studies could achieve up to 100% phenolic compound and polysaccharide rejections and also addressed the possibility of fractioning these compounds.

Treatment of Winery Wastewater by Combined Almond Skin Coagulant and Sulfate Radicals: Assessment of HSO5- Activators.

The large production of wine and almonds leads to the generation of sub-products, such as winery wastewater (WW) and almond skin. WW is characterized by its high content of recalcitrant organic matter (biodegradability index < 0.30). Therefore, the aim of this work was to (1) apply the coagulation-flocculation-decantation (CFD) process with an organic coagulant based on almond skin extract (ASE), (2) treat the organic recalcitrant matter through sulfate radical advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) and (3) evaluate the efficiency of combined CFD with UV-A, UV-C and ultrasound (US) reactors. The CFD process was applied with variation in the ASE concentration vs. pH, with results showing a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 61.2% (0.5 g/L ASE, pH = 3.0). After CFD, the germination index (GI) of cucumber and corn seeds was ≥80%; thus, the sludge can be recycled as fertilizer. The SR-AOP initial conditions were achieved by the application of a Box-Behnken response surface methodology, which described the relationship between three independent variables (peroxymonosulfate (PMS) concentration, cobalt (Co2+) concentration and UV-A radiation intensity). Afterwards, the SR-AOPs were optimized by varying the pH, temperature, catalyst type and reagent addition manner. With the application of CFD as a pre-treatment followed by SR-AOP under optimal conditions (pH = 6.0, [PMS] = 5.88 mM, [Co2+] = 5 mM, T = 343 K, reaction time 240 min), the COD removal increased to 85.9, 82.6 and 80.2%, respectively, for UV-A, UV-C and US reactors. All treated wastewater met the Portuguese legislation for discharge in a municipal sewage network (COD ≤ 1000 mg O2/L). As a final remark, the combination of CFD with SR-AOPs is a sustainable, safe and clean strategy for WW treatment and subproduct valorization.

Combined organic coagulants and photocatalytic processes for winery wastewater treatment

Due to the consumers demand for quality wines, washing and disinfection operations are necessary in wine productions, leading to the generation of large volumes of winery wastewater (WW) with a high organic content which has the potential to cause irreversible environmental impacts. The aim and novelty of this work is the production of natural organic coagulants (NOCs) to be applied in coagulation-flocculation-decantation (CFD) process. To complement this treatment process, it is also aimed the performed a photo-Fenton process, combining hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and potassium persulfate (KPS). The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that NOCs are carbon-based materials with adsorption capacity. Under the best operational conditions, NOCs achieved a turbidity removal between 86.2 and 98.9%, a total suspended solids (TSS) removal ranging between 85.0 and 94.9% and a dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal ranging between 14.1 and 44.9%. To degrade the DOC present in the WW, different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were tested. Results showed that KPS-photo-Fenton, under the best operational conditions [Fe2+] = 2.5 mM, [KPS] = 1.0 mM, pH = 3.0, radiation UV-C mercury lamp (254 nm), agitation 350 rpm, temperature 298 K, reaction time 240 min achieved a DOC removal of 91.2 and 96.8%, with a H2O2 consumption of 156.9 and 199.0 mM, respectively for red and white WW. With application of combined CFD-KPS-photo-Fenton process, it was observed an increase of DOC removal with lower H2O2 consumptions. The energy consumption of the photosystem was evaluated by application of electric energy per mass (EEM). The application of KPS-photo-Fenton process achieved an EEM of 0.308 and 0.0309 kWh/g/L DOC, with a cost of 2.05 and 2.59 €/g/L DOC respectively for red and white WW. The combination of CFD-KPS-photo-Fenton decreased significantly the costs of treatment and the treated wastewater achieved the Portuguese legal values for wastewater discharge. This work shows that NOCs are a promising technology that can be an alternative to traditional metal salts, the combination of sulfate radicals with hydroxyl radicals can achieve high DOC removal and the combination of CFD with KPS-photo-Fenton process can decrease the operational costs.

Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment

The wine industry produces large quantities of wastewater that often contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous. In particular, nitrogen pollution can be harmful, even at low levels, since infants are vulnerable to nitrates in drinking water, and excess nitrogen can harm the health of soils and waterways. Herein, an innovative compact, modular, and mobile treatment wetland (TW) using cork by product as the only granular media was used to treat the final effluents from the Codorniu winery (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain). The TW was operated during two 5-month periods with or without intermittent induced aeration (40 min cycles, 90 L/min air flow rate). Nitrate (N-NO3) and total nitrogen (TN) removal were higher (52.8% and 46.8%, respectively, p < 0.05) during TW operation under aerated-condition. Additionally, qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA, nirS and nosZ genes revealed that intermittent induced aeration facilitates N-NO3 reduction by the stimulation of denitrifying bacteria in the TW biofilm (11.4% increase in nirS copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05) as well as increasing the number of heterotrophic bacteria adhered to cork (25.5% increase in 16S rRNA copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05). Moreover, SEM images demonstrated the suitability of cork as a resistant filter media for TW after long-term system operation (1.5 years). In conclusion, our results suggest that aeration improved nitrogen compounds removal compared to the non-aerated period, without affecting phosphorous elimination. Additionally, residual cork is presented here in a circular bioeconomy view, as a suitable filling media to treat winery wastewater that can provide additional carbon source to increase C/N rate stimulating denitrification, as well as a reliable organic substrate for biomass growth.

Treatment of Winery Wastewater with PEG-600/PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes Using Submerged Membrane Bioreactor and Process Optimization by Box–Behnken Design

Treatment of Winery Wastewater with PEG-600/PVDF Mixed Matrix Membranes Using Submerged Membrane Bioreactor and Process Optimization by Box–Behnken Design

Winery Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Current Trends and Future Perspective

Winery Wastewater Treatment Technologies: Current Trends and Future Perspective

Effect of Particle Character and Calcite Dissolution on the Hydraulic Conductivity and Longevity of Biosand Filters Treating Winery and Other Acidic Effluents

Acidic effluent such as winery wastewater is challenging to remediate. Biological sand reactors can simultaneously remove organics and neutralize winery wastewater via biotic and abiotic mechanisms. The systems have been shown to be suitable for treating the intermittent flow of wastewater at small wineries. It has been shown that dissolution of calcite is the most important abiotic mechanism for increasing the pH of the influent. In this study, sand column experiments were used to determine the effects of (i) sand particle size distribution on calcite dissolution kinetics, and (ii) the effects of calcite particle dissolution on the hydraulic conductivity. The results were then used to calculate the theoretical temporal abiotic neutralization capacity of biological sand reactors with differently sized sand fractions, including unfractionated (raw) sand. The results were compared with those determined from a pilot system treating winery wastewater over a period of 3 years. Sand fractions with larger particles contained lower amounts of calcite (using Ca as a proxy), but exhibited higher hydraulic conductivities (3.0 ± 0.05 %Ca and 2.57 to 2.75 mm·s−1, respectively) than those containing smaller particles and/or raw sand (4.8 ± 0.04 to 6.8 ± 0.03 %Ca and 0.19 to 1.25 mm·s−1, respectively). The theoretical abiotic neutralization capacity of biological sand reactors was compared with a pilot system with the same flow rates, and a temporal abiotic neutralization capacity of 37 years was calculated for biological sand reactors, which compared favorably with the theoretical results obtained for wastewater with pH values between 2 (8.2 years) and 3 (82 years). It was concluded that biological sand filters with around 10% calcite will be able to abiotically neutralize winery wastewater and other wastewaters with similar acidities for the projected life span of the system. Future work should focus on determining the effect of sand grain size on the bioremediation capacity, as well as the use of biological sand reactors for treating other acidic organic wastewaters such as fruit processing, food production and distillery wastewater.