The Kenya Breweries limited has announced plans to construct a water treatment plant in Kisumu County at a cost of US $40m with the aim of boosting production efficiency in the county.
The development project is in line with with efforts to set the one million hectoliter per year brewery as an industrial benchmark for the region where several industries have been accused of contributing to the death of Lake Victoria’s Winam Gulf, which has resulted in the aggressive proliferation of water hyacinth, dwindling fish stocks and threatened domestic water quality.
Kisumu water treatment
Construction works on the project will take place in three phases. First phase of the treatment would receive water laden with organic brewery waste and chemical such as sodium hydroxide and sulphates. This step would treat waste received at a high technical pollution measurement called carbon oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand from a high of 3000 part per million (ppm) to levels where its purity is between 80 to 90% safe to release into a sewer line.
Upon completion of a portion of phase one in August, the modern brewery will be able to reuse nearly 90% of the almost 2 million litres of effluent water. The project when fully completed is expected to ease the strain on domestic users. The 1.5 million litres per day treatment plant would treat water laden in pollutants to levels where the water is safe enough for direct human consumption.
Kenya Breweries Limited Managing Director Jane Karuku explained that samples have been submitted samples to the Government for tests to pave way for phase two of the project. She however noted that water will however only be pumped back into the brewery for use in cooling, and cleansing of the apparatus and premises. Jacob Bett, the head of engineering and packaging the first phase of the treatment would receive water laden with organic brewery waste and chemical such as sodium hydroxide and sulphates.
This step would treat waste received at a high technical pollution measurement called carbon oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand from a high of 3000 part per million (ppm) to levels where its purity is between 80 to 90% safe to release into a sewer line.
“From the second stage the water is about 99% pure, meeting parameters for release into a water body. But we are introducing a third phase of treatment which would get rid of the 1% impurity, leaving the water potable and safe for reuse in certain aspects of the production process,” said Jane Karuku.
“Our water demand for the other processes such as system cooling and cleaning are as high and recycling the water will enable us meet sustainability goals while releasing much of our dependence on Kiwasco to serve other domestic and commercial needs,” Jacob Bett added.
Mr. Jacob further explained that the condensed water from the cooling process would be tapped for a repeat process. Other efficiency measures taken into consideration include harvesting of carbon from the beer fermentation process.
