Characterization of Winery Wastewater for Reuse in California

Abstract

More than thirty percent of the United States is currently in a drought that is expected to have profound social, economic, and environmental impacts. The intensification of drought conditions in southern and western regions of the country has spurred interest in wastewater reuse in agriculture, including in wine production. Presented here is the first data set of its kind to support California growers and vintners in the reuse of treated winery wastewater (WWW). The data provide a detailed description of California WWW, with particular emphasis on salinity, to enable the benefits and risks of land application to be assessed. Monthly samples were obtained over a 20-month period from 18 wineries in Ukiah, Napa, Lodi, King City, and Paso Robles. Samples collected before and after physicochemical and biological treatment were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation and anion concentrations, specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA 254 ), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 ). The pH of the WWW varied widely (from 3 to 12). Organic parameters (SUVA 254 , DOC, and BOD 5 ) showed that treatment effectively decreased organic carbon to levels that would not have negative effects on plant growth or soil. Cation concentrations (Na) in WWW were not reduced by treatment. These baseline data confirm that dissolved salts pose a challenge to the reuse of WWW. However, total salinity of the WWW was moderate (mean EC of 1.0 dS/m) and usually below risk thresholds for common winegrape rootstocks and soil salinity hazards. The conditions under which WWW could be recommended as a water management option in California are described.

Characterising winery wastewater composition to optimise treatment and reuse

“…Typically, the volume and the strength of WWW are at their peak during the vintage period (Conradie et al 2014). Lower strength and higher pH are typically observed during the non-vintage period because of high volumes of WWW generated during bottle washing and other cleaning activities with alkaline cleaners (Conradie et al 2014, Buelow et al 2015. In spite of this, high-strength WWW can occasionally be generated during the non-vintage period, for example, because of the late harvest of grapes (December to February) and subsequent processing to prepare ice wine (Vintners Quality Alliance 2019) or the disposal of spoiled product, spills or racking activities (Buelow et al 2015).…”

“…Winery wastewater (WWW) can have significant environmental impacts when discharged to watercourses, even if treated to a level that exceeds regulatory limits (Johnson and Mehrvar 2019). When applied directly to agricultural land as a cost-effective source of irrigation water, the highstrength nature of the WWW, particularly in terms of Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , can also result in long-term impacts on soil and groundwater quality (Buelow et al 2015, Hirzel et al 2017. Therefore, methods are needed to effectively treat WWW prior to disposal to mitigate potential negative environmental impacts.…”

Technological Advances in Winery Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

“…Briefly, wine consists of water, alcohols, sugars, acids, phenols nitrogenous compounds, vitamins and volatile compounds each of which contribute to the unique aromas and taste sensation of the wine which eventually affects its perceived quality. The wastewater generated during wine making procedures are abundant in potassium (K + ) and sodium (Na + ) salts mainly due to the naturally occurrence of K + (Buelow et al, 2015). The concentration of K + and Na + in winery wastewater is of particular importance when the wastewater is intended to be used for irrigation in vineyards since these ions significantly contribute (with K + contributing more than Na + ) to soil fertility but in excess are harmful to (IARC, 1988;Villamor, 2012;Gnilomedova et al, 2018;Butnariu & Butu, 2019).…”

Winery wastewater management and treatment in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada: A review and analysis of current regional practices and treatment performance

“…Winemaking is a water‐intesive process that generates a significant volume of wastewater, with estimates ranging as high as 4‐8 L of winery wastewater (WWW) generated per litre of wine . The characteristics of WWW vary substantially depending on the production stage, from low‐strength wastewaters associated with activities such as floor, barrel, and bottle washing, to high‐strength wastewaters associated with grape harvesting, crushing, and racking . Due to the seasonal nature of winemaking, WWW volumes and strengths typically peak during the vintage period, which in Ontario ranges from September‐December …”

“…Methods in place to manage WWW vary, with some wineries treating their WWW on‐site and reusing the effluent for irrigation, while others direct the WWW to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for co‐treatment within their biological treatment systems, if possible . Technologies that can effectively treat WWW have recently been investigated; however, the majority of these focus on emerging technologies at the bench‐ and pilot‐scale .…”