Dive Brief:
- Veolia Water Technologies, a water treatment corporation, has created an anaerobic digestion (AD) system for use in vineyards and wineries in American Canyon, CA.
- The system cost $15 million to develop. The project was backed by entrepreneurs from an environmental investment group.
- The equipment breaks down grape skins and other materials in the wastewater, and is capable of eliminating the waste within 24 hours, Waste 360 reports.
Dive Insight:
The system can handle recycling 100 million gallons of waste per day, including: wine, juice, wine lees, barrel wash, wastewater screenings, pond sludge, water softener concentrate, boiler blow-down, high salinity waste, and acid caustic rise water.
The equipment reduces the cost of waste treatment for the vineyards and wineries, and they can eliminate the expense of onsite treatment, odors, wastewater ponds, and septic tanks.