Process Innovation in Wastewater Management Strategies at SaltBox Production Facility: Paving the Way for Wastewater Residues Valorization

精酿啤酒是饮料行业的创新领导者[1，2]。这些啤酒厂以开发新产品和新工艺而自豪，这些产品和工艺为啤酒厂员工和客户提供了可持续生活的选择。尽管过去二十年有了显著的改善，但水消耗和废水处理仍然是直接影响酿酒厂和酿造过程的环境和经济障碍[3]。在这种背景下，许多啤酒厂一直在寻找水和废水管理的创新解决方案。这些解决方案超越了设施节水计划，为社区和环境寻找协作性、可持续的解决方案，因为过度的水污染会影响生态系统。 在此背景下，Saltbox Brewing Company Limited(Saltbox)是一家位于新斯科舍省(NS)马宏湾的精酿啤酒厂。该公司利用当地产品和原料生产口感和品质卓越的啤酒和苹果酒。为了提高生产能力(以满足大规模产品出口)并实现两种产品的定价，该公司已确定降低废水中的污染物浓度是提高利润率的关键。因此，该公司正在寻求新斯科舍社区学院(NSCC)的支持，以研究一种新颖且具有成本效益的废水处理或污水排放技术战略。这将使Saltbox能够创新并提高产量，同时利用废水残留物创造新的增值产品，从而通过增加加拿大及其他地区的市场份额为公司带来经济效益。

Craft brewers are innovative leaders in the beverage sector [1,2]. The breweries take pride in developing new products and processes that give both brewery employees and customers options for sustainable living. Despite significant improvement over the last two decades, water consumption and wastewater disposal remain environmental and economic hurdles that directly affect breweries and the brewing process [3]. In this context, many breweries have been looking for innovative solutions for water and wastewater management. These solutions go beyond facility water conservation programs to find collaborative, sustainable solutions for the community and for the environment, as excessive water pollution can impact ecosystems. In this context, SaltBox Brewing Company Limited (SaltBox) is a craft brewery located in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia (NS). The company produces beer and cider with outstanding taste and character, using local product and supplies. To increase production capacity (to entertain a large-scale product export) and enable bi-products valorisation, the company has identified the reduction of pollutant concentration in wastewater as key in leading to an increased profit margin. The company is therefore seeking Nova Scotia Community College's (NSCC) support to research a novel and cost-effective wastewater treatment or effluent discharges technological strategy. This will allow SaltBox to innovate and ramp up production while creating novel value-added products from wastewater residues, and therefore result in economic benefits to the company through an increased market share in Canada and beyond.