SPENTWASH MANAGEMENT IN DISTILLERY THROUGH RESOURCE RECOVERY AEROBIC COMPOST.

Cane molasses based distilleries are the major water polluting industry. The spent wash generated from the distillation of fermenter wash is highly , acidic with high concentration of organics.

Waste water management practices | with resource to recovery implemented in our distillery. Spent wash is utilised for Aerobic compost of pressmud, a by-product from the cane based sugar mill for production of manure.

Considering the problems in the treatment and disposal of distillery spent wash on land or into surface water, spent wash management option with recourse to zero effluent discharge seems to be the most appropriate. Distillery spent wash contains potassium, phosphates and sulphates in high concentrations and in addition, calcium, nitrogen, iron, sodium and chlorides which as the essential nutrients of plants. Similarly, pressmud, a waste . product generated from sugar mill also contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium besides organic matter and traces of sulphur.

It is a good substrate for solid state fermentation as it contains sufficient organic matter and possess as the potential for absorbing large quantity of spentwash water. It was therefore appropriate if the organics of sugar mill, pressmud and distillery spentwash are supplemented to soil as an organic and nutrient additive to improve the soil fertility.

Therefore, to mitigate the problems associated with the treatment and disposal of distillery spentwash and to cope up with the ever increasing demand of organic manure to improve soil fertility, composting of pressmud by spentwash in manure production and for use in agriculture have been implemented. The spentwash management is thus implemented in the distillery Incurring plant cost of Rs.210 Lakhs and annual operation and maintenance cost of Rs.126 lakhs and with an annual recovery of Rs.104 Lakhs through selling of compost manure to our factory members with a subsidised rate.