No, this is not a misplaced St. Patrick’s Day article or reference to green beer.  The “green” for these companies means using green technology, cutting down on or recycling waste, and using less water and energy.  Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors,  Miller Coors, a joint venture between SAB Miller and Molson Coors, breweries are striving to be environmentally sustainable companies.

Of course recycling is one of the common practices utilized by the breweries.  Paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and cardboard are routinely recycled.  Anheuser-Busch even has its own aluminum recycling plant.  Some of the solid waste is sent to cattle farms or manufacturing companies for use in pet foods.

All of the companies have reduced their energy use through installing energy efficient lighting and improving efficiencies.  These companies also have started initiatives to increase future energy reductions.

Besides its aluminum recycling plant,  Anheuser-Busch has another innovation that generates energy while cleaning up waste water.  The Florida brewery uses a bio-energy recovery system (BERS) between the brewery and the local waste water treatment facility.  BERS produces methane gas which provides 18 percent of the natural gas used by the brewery, keeping 258 million pounds of greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere.  The waste water that exits BERS requires less energy to clean at the waste water plant.

BERS system steps:

1. Wastewater resulting from the brewing process is filtered to remove grain and other particles and then piped into large tanks, where the temperature and acidity are equalized;
2. The water is then sent to airtight reactor tanks, where microorganisms – tiny “bugs” that thrive in this low-oxygen environment – feast on nutrient-rich molecules in the water;
3. The bugs digest almost all of these nutrients and produce a renewable biogas;
4. The biogas is siphoned out of the tanks and sent back to the brewery to help fuel boilers that provide energy to run the plant;
5. The pretreated water is then sent to the local wastewater treatment plant, which requires less electricity to treat it as compared to water the plant would have received from the brewery without BERS.
The key to the whole process is the microorganisms, or bugs. “We make sure the bugs are nice and healthy so they can do their business,” said Al Beers, an Anheuser-Busch engineer who oversees BERS operations. “All of this is about happy bugs.”

Molson Coors/Miller Coors have instituted a variety of green energy initiatives at different plants.  At one brewery, a Solar Bee, a water storage aeration unit is installed.  The Solar Bee reduces energy by removing the need to have an electrical compressed air system.  Various plants reuse waste water for irrigation, in cooling tanks, and brewery landscaping.

The most interesting green system is the ethanol plant at Miller Coors, Coors Golden brewing facility. The ethanol equipment is owned by Merrick but is located at the brewery and is operated by Miller Coors employees.  Waste beer (about 16 million barrels worth), spent brewers yeast, and expired beer returned to the plant are sent to the on-site ethanol distillery.

The ethanol produced is sold to a local independent petroleum refinery that blends the ethanol with gasoline.  The E85 is then sold through independent gas stations.  Both Merrick and Miller Coors share the profits.

Anheuser-Busch, Miller Coors and by extension Molson Coors have found ways to turn beer waste into energy.  The biogas produced by Anheuser-Busch’s BERS saves energy and money, and cuts down on greenhouse gases.  Miller Coors addition of an on-site ethanol refinery reduces waste water and produces a revenue producing product.

All breweries should be utilizing some form of green technology, recycling, and energy saving practices.

After all, if the “King of Beers” can go green shouldn’t the others follow?

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Entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 8:06 pm under Green Technology.

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