Pilot Plant Studies for the
Evaluation of Methods of Treating
Brewery Wastes
D. NEWTON, Partner,
Greeley and Hanson Engineers
Chicago, Illinois
H. L. KEINATH, City Manager
Frankenmuth, Michigan
L. S. HILLIS, Superintendent
Waste Treatment Plant
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Frankenmuth, Michigan, is located on the Cass River about 15 miles
southeast of Saginaw. In 1960, the population was 1, 720. The city contains
several large restaurants noted for their German cooking, especially chicken
dinners, a machine tool works and two breweries. One of the breweries is a
small so-called "family brewery" and the second, with a capacity of about
1, 800 barrels a day, is now owned by the Carling Brewing Company.
All of the industrial wastes are discharged to the municipal sewers and
prior to 1957 were discharged without treatment to the Cass River. The river
flow is frequently very low with a minimum daily flow of 1. 5 cfs and a seven-
day average low flow of 14.4 cfs of record. Under order of the state of Michi-
fan Water Resources Commission, the city, with the cooperation of the
rewery management, embarked in 1953 on a program of interception and
treatment of all sewage and industrial wastes.
The treatment works were completed and placed in operation in the fall
of 1956. The plant, designed for a week-day average flow of 0. 54 MGD and
an average BOD load of 5, 900 lbs/day, was a two-stage trickling filter plant
with separate sludge digestion. The primary filter loading was estimated at
4, 200 lbs/acre-ft. Filter effluent was to be recirculated without settling at a
constant rate of 2. 7 MGD.
Filter growths were not effectively established before cold weather set in
and winter operation in early 1957 was not up to expected efficiency. With
the advent of warm weather, the filter growths developed and better removals
were being achieved. However, it rapidly became apparent that operation
was not as expected and that the filters could not accept the full load without
producing highly objectionable odors. Investigation developed several points:
(a) the brewery, under new ownership, had almost halved the waste volume
and was producing daily BOD discharges materially greater than that found in
the predesign sampling program; (b)an apparent deficiency in nitrogen existed
in the combined sewage and waste flow, and (c) filter effluent was going
septic in the recirculation pump wells and sedimentation tanks.
Various methods of operation were tried out which lead to the conclusion
that the filters could not be expected to handle more than about one-half of
the brewery waste load without odor difficulties. Because the plant is located
quite close to a residential area, the odors could not be tolerated.   In the fall
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