Brewery wastewater is high-strength, highly variable, and must be managed and treated correctly. Between rinse water, CIP discharges, spent grain and cleaning chemicals, your effluent carries a COD and BOD₅ load many times that of ordinary sewage — and whether it goes to the public sewer or the environment it must be treated. ClearFox® designs, manufactures and installs turnkey brewery wastewater treatment systems that solve that problem: modular, containerized, and engineered around your discharge route, your flow profile and your budget. As a European market leader in brewery wastewater treatment, we’ve delivered systems to breweries of every size — from craft startups to industrial-scale producers.
The problem — why brewery effluent costs you money
Beer is 90–95% water, but most of the water a brewery uses goes into cleaning and disinfecting equipment. The result is a wastewater stream that is both concentrated and irregular — up to 90% of it can be generated on brewing day alone. Left unmanaged, that creates three concrete business risks:
- Pollution surcharges. Discharge into the public sewer with too high a COD, BOD₅ or solids load and your water authority will bill you for it — often heavily, and every single month.
- Compliance and permitting risk. Direct discharge to a river or watercourse requires you to hit strict effluent limits. Miss them and you face penalties, permit problems, or a forced shutdown.
- Wasted water and rising costs. Freshwater is a growing cost line and a growing sustainability expectation from customers and regulators alike. Discharging treated water you could have reused is money down the drain.
The pollutants driving all of this fall into three groups: solids (husks, spent grain, yeast), organic load (sugars, starches, alcohol) and cleaning chemicals from CIP. Each needs the right treatment step — which is exactly what we build.
For the full technical background on where this load comes from, see our deep-dive guide: Brewery Wastewater: Sources and Characteristics
The solution — treatment systems built around your discharge route
The right solution for your project depends entirely on where your treated water is going. We build solutions for all three routes:
Indirect discharge (to the public sewer)
The goal here is to cut your COD, BOD₅ and solids enough to eliminate — or sharply reduce — pollution surcharges. We typically combine fine screening with an FBBR (Fixed Bed Biological Reactor) stage, giving you flexible control over treatment intensity so you only pay to remove what the sewer authority charges for.
Direct discharge (to a river or watercourse)
This demands the highest purification level. Our FBBR (Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactor) technology reliably brings brewery effluent down to around COD 100 mg/l and BOD₅ 20 mg/l — comfortably inside direct-discharge limits. Lower effluent values can be achieved with our range of tertiary treatment options such as ultrafiltration, disinfection and nutrient reduction.
Water reuse
Where you want to recover water for CIP and cleaning, we add ultrafiltration after biological treatment to produce high-quality, non-potable reuse water — cutting your freshwater bill and your environmental footprint at the same time.
Want to understand how these systems are sized and configured? See: Brewery Wastewater Treatment Plant Design
The technology we supply
Every ClearFox brewery system is assembled from proven, in-house process modules — so you get the exact treatment chain your effluent needs, and nothing you don’t:
- Screw Screen — removes husks and spent grain before they clog your system.
- Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) — our optimised flotation reactor removes up to 99% of suspended solids in a compact footprint.
- Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactor (FBBR) — a natural, chemical-free biological process with very low operating costs, ideal for the high organic / low CO:BOD ratio of brewery effluent.
- Containerized Systems — the whole treatment chain, pre-installed and factory-tested inside an ISO shipping container.
Why breweries choose ClearFox®
Modular, containerized, and scalable
Our systems arrive pre-assembled, factory-tested and ready to connect — inlet, outlet and power. They fit inside your production hall or anywhere on your premises with minimal space, and they scale as your output grows, so no investment is ever wasted. They can also be easily relocated if you ever move premises.
Low CAPEX and OPEX
No extensive civil works or permanent buildings. Biological treatment by natural processes means minimal chemical and running costs, and low-maintenance operation.
Guaranteed compliance
We give a process guarantee that your system will meet the required discharge values.
Built in Germany, proven worldwide
An ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified manufacturer with a track record you can rely on:
- 40,000+ treatment systems delivered
- Installed in 50+ countries
- Treating 25 million litres of wastewater every day
Rental options available
Need a short-term or temporary solution — for a trial, a seasonal peak, or a bridge before a permanent install? Ask about our rental and leasing service.
Proven on real brewery projects
We don’t treat brewery wastewater in theory — we’ve done it on site, at scale:
- Brewery effluent treatment — FBBR in concrete tanks: incoming COD ~5,000 mg/l and BOD₅ ~2,500 mg/l brought down to COD 150 mg/l and BOD₅ 40 mg/l — ready for direct discharge.
- Wastewater treatment plant for a growing brewery: a 150 PE system in four underground concrete tanks, engineered to absorb the highly irregular brewing-day flow.
Browse more of our work: ClearFox Projects
How we work — from sample to commissioning
- Wastewater analysis. Send us a sample. Our in-house laboratory analyses effluent from any sector and returns a detailed report — analysis to non-binding quotation within one week, anywhere in the world.
- System design & engineering. We size the treatment chain to your flow, load and target discharge values.
- Manufacturing. Built and factory-tested in Germany.
- Installation, commissioning & training. Fast on-site setup and hands-on training for your team.
- Operation, maintenance & remote monitoring. Ongoing support and external access to keep performance on spec.
See our full service offering: ClearFox Complete Services
Ready to plan your brewery wastewater treatment system?
Whether you’re building new, upgrading an existing plant, expanding output, or switching from indirect to direct discharge, our engineers will find the right solution for your brewery. Send us your wastewater parameters and we’ll come back with a tailored, cost-effective proposal.
FAQs
How do I stop paying pollution surcharges on my brewery wastewater?
Surcharges are triggered when your COD, BOD₅ or solids load into the public sewer exceeds the authority’s thresholds. Pre-treatment — typically fine screening plus an FBBR biological stage — reduces that load so you only discharge what you’re willing to pay for, and often removes surcharges entirely.
Can a ClearFox system treat brewery wastewater to direct-discharge standard?
Yes. Our FBBR technology reliably achieves around COD 100 mg/l and BOD₅ 20 mg/l, suitable for discharge to a receiving water body or for irrigation.
Is this suitable for a small craft brewery as well as a large producer?
Yes. Our systems are modular and scalable, from compact craft-scale units up to industrial capacities, and they expand as your production grows.
How much space does a system need?
Very little. Our containerized systems are pre-installed inside an ISO container and can sit inside your production hall or anywhere on your premises. Only the inlet, outlet and power need connecting on site.
How long does it take from enquiry to a working plant?
A typical brewery system runs three to six months from initial enquiry to commissioning, depending on scope.
Can I reuse the treated water?
Yes — by adding ultrafiltration after biological treatment we produce high-quality water suitable for non-potable reuse such as CIP and cleaning, reducing your freshwater consumption.
