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A Comprehensive Beer Wastewater Treatment Solution: Turning an Environmental Challenge into a Competitive Advantage for Your Business
The brewing industry is an important economic pillar, but it is also one of the sources of large and complex industrial wastewater flows. To produce just 1 litre of beer, a brewery uses about 4 to 11 litres of water, of which roughly two thirds goes into the production process and the remaining third into cleaning activities. If this huge volume of wastewater is not treated properly, it becomes a serious threat to the environment and to public health.
With its high organic pollution, strongly fluctuating pH and large flow, untreated beer wastewater not only severely pollutes the receiving water body, but also exposes the business to heavy fines, damage to its brand reputation and even suspension of operations.
Fully aware of these challenges, NGO International, with nearly 10 years of in-depth experience in industrial wastewater treatment, is committed to delivering optimal and sustainable solutions. We help businesses not only comply strictly with the law but also improve operating efficiency, optimise costs and build the image of a green brand that is responsible to the community.
1. Main wastewater sources in beer production
Beer is a beverage containing ethanol alcohol and carbonic acid, produced from malt, hops, yeast and water. The beer production process includes malting, fermentation, maturation, filtration and bottling. Before it is fermented into alcohol, the starch in malt is converted into hydrolysed sugars. Solid waste (spent grain) and wastewater come from brewing, fermentation, beer storage and filtration tanks, containers, and bottle and keg cleaning.
Brewery wastewater is generated at many stages of the production process, and each source carries its own characteristic pollutants:
| No. | Source | Pollutants & Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleaning of equipment and production halls (Brewing kettles, fermentation tanks, pipes, floors…) |
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| 2 | Washing of bottles and crates (Especially on returnable-bottle lines) |
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| 3 | Fermentation & maturation (Sludge discharged from primary and secondary fermentation tanks) |
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| 4 | Finished product stage (Filtration, CO₂ saturation, filling, pasteurisation) |
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| 5 | Other auxiliary sources |
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2. Properties of beer wastewater
The level of pollution differs greatly from one wastewater source to another and depends on the production technology and on management. In the combined wastewater stream, the typical average pollutant levels are as follows (mg/l):
HC (*) | TSS | P (soluble) | COD | BOD | pH |
1,561 | >2000 | 7-30 | 1500-3000 | 1100-1500 | 5-11 |
(*) HC is the organic component of the total suspended solids (TSS)
The pollutants in beer production wastewater are mainly readily biodegradable organic substances (high BOD/COD), while nitrogen and phosphorus levels are rather low and are often not enough to meet the nutrient needs of aerobic biological treatment. The wastewater temperature is relatively high and tends to rise as the volume of water used in the process falls (due to water saving). The pH of the individual wastewater streams also varies considerably depending on the production stage. For example:
- Wastewater from washing returned bottles usually has a high pH.
- Wastewater from equipment cleaning usually has a low pH.
Nitrogen in the wastewater exists mainly in organic form, and sometimes as nitrate because nitric acid is used when cleaning equipment. Suspended solids in the wastewater include:
- Organic compounds from the raw materials.
- Residue from treatment processes, such as filter aids (for example SiO₂, modified diatomite).
- Residue from washing returned bottles.
3. Common wastewater treatment process at breweries in Vietnam
4. Common problems in the wastewater treatment process at breweries:
Wastewater treatment systems at breweries still face many difficulties that have not been overcome:
- Floating sludge or sludge that will not settle
- Unstable biomass that often dies and has to be reseeded
- A design that cannot treat the required capacity or does not meet the standards
- Strong odours
- Operators struggle to maintain the treatment quality of the system
5. For an effective wastewater treatment system, breweries need to pay attention to 02 factors:
- A sound technology design: bigger treatment tanks are not necessarily better; what matters is that they suit the concentration of each pollutant parameter in the wastewater and create the right environment for the biomass to grow.
- The technology option must make it easy for operators to observe and run the system, and must give them the tools to carry out the required tasks correctly.
6. Featured customer
Initial situation: A brewery with a capacity of 1500 m³/day faced influent with COD of up to 4500 mg/L. The existing treatment system broke down frequently, with floating sludge in the UASB tank, weak aerobic biomass and unstable effluent quality that often exceeded QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT Column A (the regulation applicable when the project was implemented; from 1 September 2025 it is replaced by QCVN 40:2025/BTNMT, in Vietnamese), and operating costs were high because of heavy electricity and chemical consumption.
NGO International’s solution: After a detailed survey and analysis, NGO International proposed upgrading the system and renovating the tanks.
Impressive results:
- Stable effluent quality, with COD consistently < 50 mg/L (meeting QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT Column A).
- 25% lower electricity and chemical operating costs.
- Recovery of an average of 900 m³ of biogas per day, meeting about 15% of the boiler’s heat demand.
- A significant reduction in CO2 emissions, contributing to environmental protection.
- The plant has complete peace of mind about legal compliance and has strengthened its brand image.
“As a large-scale brewery, we always put sustainability and environmental compliance first. NGO International’s wastewater treatment system has not only helped us meet QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT consistently but also significantly optimised our operating costs.” – Mr. D.V.D, Chief Executive Officer of a brewery
7. Frequently asked questions
Beer wastewater has a very high organic content (BOD, COD), a wide pH range (from 4 to 12) and contains a lot of sugar, carbohydrates, spent yeast and cleaning agents. A high BOD/COD ratio indicates good biodegradability, but the fluctuation in flow and concentration is a major challenge for the treatment system
Brewery wastewater in Vietnam must comply with the national technical regulation on industrial wastewater QCVN 40:2025/BTNMT, applicable from 1 September 2025 and replacing QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT. Depending on the receiving water body, the limit values of Column A, Column B or Column C apply. Plants already in operation, or projects whose EIA report was approved before 1 September 2025, may continue to apply the old regulation until the end of 31 December 2031.
The timeline depends on the project scale, the wastewater characteristics and the technology selected. However, with NGO International’s experience and optimised process, we are committed to efficient delivery. Available optimisation solutions (such as using microbial products) can deliver quick results.
Yes. Periodic maintenance and servicing are essential to keep the system running stably and efficiently and to extend its service life. NGO International provides professional maintenance services.
Yes, we provide full operation and maintenance (O&M) services, so that businesses can focus on production and business with complete peace of mind.
See more: https://ngoenvironment.com/en/wastewater-treatment.html
https://shopngoenvironment.com/product-category/san-pham-cong-nghiep/
For advice on beer wastewater treatment solutions, contact us on +84 24 7300 0890, or send an email to office@8ngo.com
Talk to an NGO engineer
Free survey and consultation. Send us your wastewater type (industrial or domestic), flow rate (m³/day), influent analysis results if available and required effluent quality; an NGO engineer will propose a suitable technology and a realistic quotation.
Offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City · +84 24 7300 0890 · office@8ngo.com
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