Upgrading a wastewater treatment plant boosts not only environmental standards but production output as well.
Founded in 1937, Compañia Cervecera de Puerto Rico is the largest beer brewery on the island. The company embarked on a significant modernization and expansion program a few years ago, in part, to introduce its flagship beer, Medalla Light, to the mainland market. New brewing equipment and packaging technology were purchased, resulting in a 60 percent increase in production.
Another critical element in the expansion was increasing the capacity of the existing wastewater treatment plant. Larger hydraulic and organic loadings were making it difficult to meet treatment objectives. Additionally, manual controls and a lack of instrumentation hampered monitoring, frequent maintenance was required, and a large amount of power was needed to operate the facility’s old, inefficient recirculation pumps.