Peristaltic Pumps Chosen to Assist with Water Reclamation

Stone Brewing Company, located in Escondido, California, is a strong advocate for environmental responsibility. It has grown from a small microbrewery to one of the largest craft breweries in the United States. Its goal has been to brew quality beers while maintaining a commitment to sustainability, business ethics and the art of brewing. The grounds at Stone Brewing have won several awards for environmentally responsible landscape architecture. The facility is built within a flood retention basin and draws on reclaimed materials, including second-hand plants.

Part of Stone Brewing’s social and environmental goals includes proper handling of wastewater produced in the brewing process. The wastewater must be filtered and purified before being discharged. Stone Brewing chose peristaltic chemical metering pumps to assist in finding a solution for treating wastewater generated by the craft brewery.

Solving the Wastewater Dilemma

Stone Brewing is regulated by the county and state and is required to meet wastewater discharge protocols. The brewery and the packaging hall generate approximately 100,000 gallons of wastewater per day. To achieve the standards required for safe disposal of wastewater, Stone Brewing needed to find reliable, operator- friendly metering pumps that would deliver accurate amounts of chemical into the treatment system.

The Right Pump

Stone Brewing installed four peristaltic chemical metering pumps to assist with the purification of the wastewater. Two of the pumps inject a solution of 12.5 percent sodium hypochlorite for use in the membrane bioreactor (MBR) filter backwashes. MBR processes can produce high-quality effluent so that it can be discharged into coastal waterways or reclaimed for urban irrigation. One of the pumps injects 93 percent sulfuric acid prior to reverse osmosis. This is also used in the process of removing effluent materials from the water molecules. The final pump injects 12 to 14 percent sodium hydroxide to bring the reclaimed water to a pH of 8 so it does not corrode the pipes.

The Result

The compact peristaltic chemical metering pumps that Stone Brewing chose to install can handle the variety of aggressive chemicals being injected into the wastewater. Peristaltic pumps are effective in pumping fluids that contain trapped gasses. Chemicals used by the brewery to treat the wastewater, such as sodium hypochlorite, tend to release gases when subjected to a vacuum or changes in temperatures. The peristaltic pump is capable of pumping both fluid and gas without losing prime. The peristaltic pumps can also pump fluids that contain particulate matter into lower pressure systems because they have no check valves to clog, which can cause loss of prime. The water technicians at the brewery appreciate the ease of use and the electronic features of the pumps, which offer precision chemical metering to assist with the purification of the wastewater. Stone Brewing now successfully employs peristaltic metering pumps for managing safe wastewater disposal to accomplish the goal of being environmentally responsible.