South African Breweries (SAB) have developed and are putting into action a two phase project at their Alrode plant that will reduce their dependency on non-renewable sources to provide energy for the plant.

The first phase is to biologically treat the wastewater created by the running of the brewery; this is done by converting organic material into methane gas by means of the anaerobic digestion process. 90% of the organic material will be converted into biogas.

The second phase is using the biogas as an alternative source of energy for the boiler rather than releasing it out into the environment. “In effect, while we are treating effluent, we are also creating a green energy opportunity,” says environmental engineering company Talbot & Talbot green energy division business development manager Grahame Thompson.
The project should decrease the coal consumption of the plant; this has been estimated as a saving of R7000 a day, this also impacts on the environment as it shall no longer solely rely on a non-renewable source.

SAB’s Alrode plant is a first for the brewery giant in taking steps towards the effective use of the brewery’s effluent and by-products in the generation of a sustainable energy source. As a result, the brewery has been able to drive down production costs and reduce its energy dependence on non-renewable sources.