Converting Beer Waste into Activated Carbon | AIChE

Converting Beer Waste into Activated Carbon

January
2020

Barley, a cereal crop, is the primary feedstock for Northern Ireland’s beer brewing industry. In 2017, the nation’s substantial beer production was sourced from more than 144,000 tons of the biomass.

Breweries often struggle to deal with large volumes of brewer’s spent grain (BSG), the main waste product of barley processed during beermaking. BSG consists predominantly of lignin, which can be difficult to break down. Most of the waste ends up in landfills, where it ultimately decomposes and releases greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide.

Many researchers have suggested reusing BSG, which is copious and inexpensive, as livestock feed, fertilizer, and a food additive. At Queen’s Univ. Belfast (QUB), chemical engineers have created a technique to convert BSG into high-quality activated carbon (AC)...

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