Maker's Mark fuels operations with bourbon waste
Anaerobic digestion of waste material from production process to offset up to 30% of plant energy use.
By Control Engineering Staff -- Control Engineering, 12/16/2008
Loretto, KY – Marker's Mark has turned on a new treatment system at its distillery here, turning waste into energy for the facility, according to a news item posted on Greenbiz.com.
The anaerobic digestion facility installed by waste management provider Ecovation will process stillage—the water, grain and yeast waste leftover from making bourbon—and produce a methane and carbon
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dioxide biogas for use in the distillery's boilers.
The stillage treatment, which was incorporated into the facility's existing wastewater treatment system, is expected to offset 15-30% of the distillery's natural gas use.
The $8 million system is estimated to produce 85 million BTUs a day, and will eventually produce up to 165 million BTUs a day as the distillery increases its production of bourbon from 840,000 cases to 2.2 million cases a year over the next 10 years.
Anaerobic digestion is a process in which organic materials are broken down by microorganisms. Previous to using the system, Maker's Mark would dry and ship its stillage to farmers for use as cattle feed.
For more information, visit: www.ecovation.com.
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