I came across this article recently about sustainability and the beer industry. Interesting. They talk about a couple of issues that concern me and my passion for beer, mainly breweries resource use and CO2 emission. It's hard for me to get around the fact that brewing beer requires alot of water and energy. I just wish this wasn't so.
The article doesn't really address ways to solve this problem, it just sort of highlights the fact that it is there. Check it out, it's worth a read.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Challenges for the green brewery.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
It is possible to do that differently. Take a look:
Bavaria's Sustainable Practices:
Waste Water: In 1985, Bavaria invested in a waste water treatment plant and a combined heat power unit to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Bavaria was the first brewery in the Netherlands with these kinds of facilities. With the purification system, all spring water that is left over from the brewing process is purified and then released into the neighboring canals. The purified water is cleaner than the surrounding streams and therefore increases the purity level of Lieshout's waterways. In this way, Bavaria plays an active role in improving the quality of local water resources.
Energy: Every year about 1 million cubic meters (m3) of methane gas are generated as a natural by-product of the waste water purification process. This gas is captured and used to produce steam and electricity and to fuel the combined heat power unit. The captured methane provides 10% of the brewery's energy needs. The unit also stores excess energy that is later used for malting, brewing and packaging. In 2006, Bavaria implemented a new step in the brewing process that uses a vacuum to save up to 700,000 m3 of natural gas.
CO2: The carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released during the beer fermentation process is captured and reused in the bottling and packaging department, rather than released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. It is also sold on the open market.
Recycling: The brewery limits their solid waste by recycling. Overall, Bavaria recycles 99% of all solid waste. Even the organic by-products, barley, wheat, and hops are sold to farmers for animal feed.
Certified Management System: Bavaria uses the ISO 14001 system to manage its environmental impact and track its progress against stated goals. With this system, Bavaria can identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services, continually improve its environmental performance, and implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets. This system and its use are audited by Lloyd's of London.
Post a Comment