EXAMINATION OF ENERGY RECOVERY OF BREWERS' SPENT GRAIN II. - BIOLOGICAL PROCESS

Abstract

Production rate of technologies applied in the food industry can only be economical if energy consumption is specifically reduced simultaneously with increasing the capacities and/or utilization of alternative energy sources gains higher ratio during production.
A high proportion of waste forms is produced in food processing technologies. Fiscal and environmental cost of waste handling i.e. transportation, recovery and disposal is often significant.
Brewing industry’s most important by-product is the brewers' spent grains (BSG) formed during mashing. Utilization of this product is theoretically solved, it is most frequently sold as animal fodder, however utilization in the energy sector can and should be considered and has promising possibilities. Seeking economic and environmental benefits, this paper analyses the possibilities of energy recovery from brewers’ spent grains through aerobic digestion and anaerobic fermentation.