Elutriate Systems, owned and operated by Glenn Wensloff (BSME Cal Poly ’86), worked with Kurt Kelder of Kelder Engineering, Cloverdale (707) 894-0862., in the efforts to expand the production of Prevail winery from 60,000 cases to 120,000 cases. By changing the aeration dynamics of the ponds similar to previous projects, including Hahns estate (2004) and recently Korbel, (2011), ES was able to reduce the area required for winery waste water digestion but also reduce the cost of the electricity involved.

For Korbel the numbers were awesome, $140K project, $69K rebate back from PG&E, and dropped the annual power bill by $75K. This is a great method to drop the operating expenses, while optimizing and converting a “liability into an asset”. Prevails will be similar, but scaled down from 1.2 M cases for Korbel to 120 K cases for Prevail.

With Prevail Winery we are able to convert a facultative pond in to an aerobic digester. This maximizes the digestion rate and minimizes the vineyard land taken out of production, minimizing the power usage, and converting the winery effluent into a beneficial soil amendment “Compost Tea”. My feed store is selling aerobic compost tea at $10 per gallon, $8 if you bring your own container.

By converting winery wastewater into “compost tea”, “converting a liability into an asset” or healthy and sustainable irrigation water re use. “Our process provides a cost-effective and sustainably correct method for wineries to handle wastewater,” said Wensloff. “And the energy used is optimized and qualifies for several rebates.

With Prevail winery, the savings are further magnified as they need to lift well water 1100’ from the valley floor for irrigation. Previously the effluent was not suitable for reuse and was applied to a fallow area. With the Pond/Bio Reactor system the floating aerators system is retrofitted with a fine bubble diffuser system, enabling more BOD digestion in the same pond to occur. This now allows the water to be reused and the fallow area planted in vineyard.

Including a new PG&E on bill financing program up to 100K per facility at 0% for retrofits, like Korbels. Changing floating aerators out for a fine bubble diffuser system controlled by VFD and Dissolved oxygen monitor. The enables the aeration to provide the aeration needed as needed versus running 24/7 flat out. (Contact Larry Waits of BASE energy, for the details (707) 693-0182.

The rebate program is a PG&E incentive to promote energy savings programs. The Bio Reactor from Elutriate Systems, ESBR, utilizes a dissolved oxygen control and Variable frequency drive system to match the speed of the aeration to the fluctuating demand. This saves 70% of the power that would be required for a typical winery. Due to the seasonal and varying BOD loading the aeration requirement also changes, the control system optimizes the energy requirement and providing consistent results.

“The Elutriate system,” said Steve Lock, owner of Excluse Winery in Paso Robles, and previous ESBR and rebate recipient, “has been the cornerstone of movement in the past year to growing more sustainably. By converting our winery waste water to compost tea we are generating a product which is extremely beneficial to the vineyard and reusing all the water used for winey cleaning.”

Winery wastewater management is becoming a growing concern in wine production. The wastewater generated by a winery is high in biological oxygen demand (BOD), which occurs due to high levels of dissolved sugars during crush and alcohol after fermentation. This BOD is converted into an asset and utilized in growing beneficial bacterial. The Bio Reactors used by Elutriate are custom sized and configured to the customers operation. The system utilizes pH control, fine bubble diffusers, tanks (above or underground), rotary blowers and a clarifier to capture the bacteria for return to the waste stream.

About Elutriate Systems –
Elutriate Systems specializes in Bio Reactors that convert the winery process wastewater into “compost tea,” which is then applied back to the vineyard. The processed effluent augments the irrigation water and returns the nutrients and bio-diversity back to the soil. This is a very sustainable practice and actually embraces the soil and all of the microbes contained within. The systems are custom designed for each job. Elutriate is owned and operated by Glenn Wensloff (BS mechanical engineering Cal Poly SLO 1986). For more information on how Elutriate can help your business please visit our website at www.elutriatesystems.com