ASSESSING OPPORTUNITIES TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF BREWERY WASTE IN ALBANIA DECEMBER 13, 2019 Sarah Boermeester Marissa Gonzales Katy Jessop Griffin St. Onge
[email protected] Professor Robert Hersh, WPI Professor Robert Kinicki, WPI i ASSESSING OPPORTUNITIES TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF BREWERY WASTE IN ALBANIA An Interactive Qualifying Project Submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted by: Sarah Boermeester Marissa Gonzales Katy Jessop Griffin St. Onge Project Duration: August 23, 2019 to December 13, 2019 Submitted to: Elisabeta Poci The Wastewater and Sewerage Association of Albania (SHUKALB) Project Advisor: Professor Robert Hersh Professor Robert Kinicki Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) This report represents work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects. ABSTRACT Breweries produce tons of organic solid waste and millions of liters of wastewater. When discharged into the environment without treatment, these waste streams degrade aquatic ecosystems and can pose risks to human health. Working with SHUKALB, our team investigated Albanian brewery practices and identified process improvements to reduce operating costs and breweries’ environmental impact. Our interviews with industry professionals, extensive on-site assessment, and surveys demonstrate that general Albanian brewery processes compare favorably to global breweries except for a higher environmental impact due to no available industrial wastewater treatment in Albania. As costs influence brewery changes, we generated high-level recommendations for breweries to improve their environment impact.