Sustainable wastewater management in the brewing industry: Utilizing cellulose acetate membranes derived from brewers’ spent grain for enhanced treatment efficiency
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Favour Okechi Ifeanyi-Nze 1 * , Precious Nkeiruka Ohaeri 2 , Ejiro Marvis Akpotabor 3 , Lucy Egboyi Odeh 4 , Funke Temitope Esho 5 , Davidson Chukwudi Onwumelu 6 , Ebikemiyen Marcus 7 , Muhideen Oyetunji Oyewole 8 , Johnson Obasi Chukwu 9 , Michael Kelechi Onwuka 10 , Olaoluwa John Adeleke 11 , Oluwaseun Deborah Akinmulegun 12 , Gregory Otiti 13 , Chioma Linda Onyishi 14
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1 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, NIGERIA2 Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, NIGERIA3 Department of Chemistry, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, NIGERIA4 Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, NIGERIA5 Department of Environmental Biology, Yaba College, Lagos State, NIGERIA6 Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, NIGERIA7 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, SCOTLAND8 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, NIGERIA9 Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, NIGERIA10 Department of Technology and Environmental Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, CZECHIA11 Department of Electrical Engineering, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State, NIGERIA12 Department of Microbiology, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, NIGERIA13 Department of Microbiology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, NIGERIA14 Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, NIGERIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG), the primary by-product of the brewing industry, constitutes approximately 85.0% of the total by-products generated. BSG is known for its rich cellulose and non-cellulosic polysaccharide content, making it a valuable resource with significant potential for profitable recycling and reutilization. Given that the brewing sector is among the most substantial industrial consumers of water due to the water-intensive process of producing BSG, the effective management of wastewater in this industry is of paramount importance. This research focuses on investigating innovative wastewater management in the brewing sector. It employs the conversion of BSGs into a cellulose acetate membrane, thus enabling a physio-chemical treatment process utilizing the micro-filtration technique for wastewater treatment within the brewery industry. The results of this study demonstrate a substantial reduction in biochemical oxygen demand from the initial value of 16.65 mg/l (untreated) to 13.70 mg/l, 11.16 mg/l, 8.37 mg/l, 5.58 mg/l, and 3.14 mg/l after the first through fifth treatment cycles, respectively. Furthermore, the research indicates a high correlation with an R2 value of 0.999, affirming the viability and effectiveness of the treatment process. This is further substantiated by the results of chemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, and hydrogen ion concentration analyses presented in this study. These findings not only validate the efficacy of utilizing BSG-derived cellulose acetate membranes but also emphasize the potential for revolutionizing wastewater treatment practices within the brewing industry. This research paves the way for sustainable, environmentally conscious strategies in industrial wastewater management, ensuring the optimal utilization of by-products while minimizing the environmental footprint of brewing operations.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2024, Article No: em0246

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/14105

Publication date: 05 Jan 2024

Article Views: 1251

Article Downloads: 471

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