Optimizing Water Footprint and Energy Use in Industry: A Decision Support Framework for Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Applied to a Brewery

Abstract

Water and energy use, along with wastewater reuse, are critical for sustainable industrial production. This study develops a decision support framework (DSF) to assess wastewater treatment and reuse, incorporating Water and Carbon Footprint indicators. The framework is applied to a Greek brewery producing 1.4 × 106 hL of beer annually, with a total water consumption of 5.6 hL per hL of beer and an in-house wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The WWTP consumes over 40% more energy than expected, indicating a need for efficiency improvements. An advanced wastewater treatment method is proposed, capable of treating 43% of the total wastewater volume, with 3% covering the brewery’s utility water demand and the rest allocated to restricted irrigation. This reduces the operational Water Footprint by 12% and the supply chain Water Footprint by 1%, while increasing energy use by 3%. The optimal scenario, integrating water reuse and energy efficiency improvements, results in a 35% reduction in the Carbon Footprint, a 10% decrease in the operational Water Footprint, and a 1% reduction in the supply chain Water Footprint. The DSF provides a structured approach for industries to optimize sustainability by balancing water reuse with energy efficiency.