Food & Beverage Innovations
Glenmorangie: Clean Water with Aquabio
Modern Technology meets Tradition
Glenmorangie’s whiskeys are enjoyed worldwide, but according to its founders, it can only be crafted in one place – the town of Tain in the northeast of Scotland. To preserve this unique tradition for future generations, Glenmorangie partnered with Aquabio, part of Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, to treat distillery by-products and process water. Today, the by-products of distillation are converted into energy and fertilizer. The process water is treated and 95% of organic compounds are removed. The treated water can then be returned to the water cycle.
Aquabio filtration solutions for process water treatment
Glenmorangie aimed to support water quality and biodiversity in the nearby marine area. As part of this effort, oyster beds were established.
Aquabio, a Freudenberg company, developed an anaerobic membrane bioreactor that uses naturally occurring bacteria to convert distillery waste into biogas and fertilizer. The process also treats water before it is returned to the water cycle.
The distillery's by-products are converted into:
- biogas, reducing fossil fuel consumption by 15%
- nutrient-rich fertilizer containing copper for regional barley cultivation
- water that is 95% free of organic compounds
The modular system can be adapted for a range of industrial applications to help utilize by-products as valuable resources.
