Malting
Innovative in water treatment
Our breakthrough technology enables you to save water and increase product yield and quality.
Sustainable
Go ‘green’ and lower the environmental impact of malting.
Optimal reuse
Create the best possible steeping water through selective water treatment.
Partners in business
The best results arise from a fruitful cooperation. Moving forward together.
The challenge
Malting companies have to cope with social, technical, environmental and economic challenges in the global beer market. The market demands sustainable production methods, while maintaining or increasing product quality and profitability.
IMPROVE WATER USE FOR MORE YIELD. Malt production requires large amounts of water during the immersion or spraying step of the steeping process in order to stimulate germination of barley. Steeping schemes are optimized for water reduction to the limits of modification and enzyme development. Steeping water reuse is not applied because of the potential negative effects on the germination of barley. With the current methods, the limits have been reached in terms of water conservation.
REDUCE DISCHARGE COSTS. Wastewater must be processed in treatment plants to discharge water in accordance with strict legislation. Aerobic treatment systems with high operational costs are applied to reduce the organic pollution (COD) of the wastewater. Cost-efficient anaerobic systems are not widely applied. The conventional techniques are not capable to treat the low-strength (< 2500 mg/L COD) and cold (< 25 °C) wastewater of malting plants with anaerobic bacteria.
The solution
Water IQ offers malting companies a novel solution to reduce water use for production, while increasing the yield and improving the malt quality.
IMPROVED WATER USE: INCREASED YIELD AND QUALITY. The Optisteep® system of Water IQ is an integrated water treatment system for steeping water in malting plants. The Optisteep® conditions the steeping water quality. Germination inhibitors, such as polyphenols, and harmful micro-organisms are continuously removed during the steeping process. The system enables an innovative steeping method: Optisteeping®, based on single immersion. This method results in less water use, an increased malting yield and improved malt quality.
MEET EFFLUENT QUALITY STANDARDS AT LOW COST. The CWD® Reactor is a breakthrough technology developed for the treatment of cold and/or low-strength wastewater streams from production companies in the food and beverages industry. The CWD® Reactor converts organic compounds from various wastewaters to biogas without additional heating. The system has been successfully applied in malting plants, treating wastewater at 10˚-25˚ Celsius. Strict quality standards are met while reducing the treatment costs.
The biggest advantages of steeping water conditioning for malt production are yet to be revealed. In the near future, next to water savings of Optisteeping, malt quality benefits will be a key driver behind prolonged steep water usage.
– Freddy Dekkers, CEO Water IQ International –
Our technology
