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Author Topic: Reusing RO wastewater.  (Read 1881 times)

Offline HopDen

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Reusing RO wastewater.
« on: May 28, 2018, 06:06:19 pm »
Question for the water chemistry guys. So I have finished assembling my new basement brewery and the last order of business was installing the RO system. While I was timing how long it took to fill a one gallon container and also the amount of waste it produces, it made me wonder how to repurpose that wastewater. Is it feasible to use said water to brew with or will it have too much TDS or too high a mineral content? Can it be blended back with new water for sparging? Obviously I will have to test the pH. Any ideas are helpful. I hate to waste a usable resource.

Offline mabrungard

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2018, 06:30:00 am »
Water isn't necessarily wasted. In the case of RO, all we are doing is temporarily using the 'water' part of the mix and sending the dissolved salts to the wastewater system where it will eventually be recombined with that 'water' in the form of the consumed beer.

Reusing RO wastewater is an iffy proposition. Undoubtedly, that water will have significant mineralization and it could be mineralized to the point that its injurious to the recipient. For example, if the water supply is ion-exchange softened prior to RO treatment, the resulting wastewater could have sodium concentration that could kill plants that are watered with it. Water can also be objectionable if the raw water has modest levels of iron or manganese. That water could stain clothing if used for washing. 
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Offline MNWayne

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2018, 07:34:50 am »
You can use it as wash water.
Far better to dare mighty things....

Offline Robert

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2018, 09:15:44 am »
In the case of RO, all we are doing is temporarily using the 'water' part of the mix and sending the dissolved salts to the wastewater system where it will eventually be recombined with that 'water' in the form of the consumed beer.
So much more elegantly expressed than the old "you don't buy beer, you just rent it."
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Offline kramerog

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2018, 10:23:43 am »
Sports drink?  No need to add salt!

Offline kramerog

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2018, 10:47:23 am »
Cooling water if the water is softened.  If not, the water may cause scaling from excessive calcium carbonate.

Offline chinaski

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2018, 05:46:13 pm »
I think that it is really good that you are thinking about waste- good on ya!  I wonder if you could use it for a gray water application like car washing or toilet flushing.  I wonder if you might be able to minimize your pure RO water needs and just make enough to dilute the existing ions in the source water.  I know that it may be more complicated than just mixing RO and salts to get exactly what you want, but its not bad to consider it.


Offline Phil_M

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2018, 06:07:14 pm »
I wonder if you could use it for a gray water application like car washing

No! No no no no! Better a dirty car than hard water deposits stuck to the clear coat, IMO. They look terrible, and the only way I've found to get them off is claying. Better to find a better gray water application.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline HopDen

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2018, 04:31:48 am »
Thank You for all of the input!

Offline Stevie

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Re: Reusing RO wastewater.
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2018, 08:34:26 am »
A family member plumbed their RO waste to their pool. It’s not significant as they still top up using fresh water once a week.