Aim- Use & reuse of condensate water to dilute the molasses without affecting its

fermentation efficiency.

Abstract- Distillery condensate is generated as a by-product of Multi-Effect Evaporation

of spent wash generated as wastewater stream from alcohol production process. This
control is generated as an effluent has a very high amount of organic load and therefore
can have a detrimental effect on the environment. Furthermore the stringent processes
of the pollution control board and norms for disposal of the spent wash in the
environment are extremely stringent and therefore it is necessary for the distillery to
take up treatment processes for achieving zero effluent discharge in terms of spent wash

The novelty of the idea is to recover condensate water from spent wash, use this water in
diluting molasses for fermentation and conserving ground/fresh water. By suggested
technology one can use condensate water to dilute molasses multiple times without
affecting its fermentation efficiency as same as ground water i.e., 91 ±2 % and it
effectively reduce Volatile Acids from 4000 ppm (cycle I) to 1380 ppm (cycle V) by using
100% condensate water

Introduction-
Sugar and distillery sector is one such division which has been responsible for the
successful growth of the developing countries like Sudan, Philippines, Fiji, and India etc.
In these areas, sugarcane is cultivated as a prime cash crop and has been dominating the
country’s economy. Moreover, this sector is not only generating revenue, but is creating
employment for a large sector of the society. Distillery is an ancillary sector of the sugar
complex and requires the raw materials from the sugar manufacturing process for most
part. There are about 295 distilleries in India, mostly concentrated in Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The
distillery sector is based on the production of the different grades of alcohol suitable for
the various processes like liquor production, medical preparations, fuel additives,
cosmetics and drugs industries etc. The generation of alcohol takes place through a very
complex process of fermentation of the raw material using some specific fungal cultures.
The Indian fermentation industry is categorized mainly into Brewery and Distillery. The
processes run Majority of the units of distillery present in India are molasses based. This
is due to the presence of a large number of sugar factories in close vicinity, which fulfil
the requirement of molasses. The second reason for the presence of large number of
molasses based units is the scarcity of food grains for grain –based distillation processes
given the requirement of food for the population, and the legal bindings in the countries

In India the stringent processes of the pollution control board and norms for disposal of
the spent wash in the environment are extremely stringent and therefore it is necessary
for the distillery to take up treatment processes for achieving zero effluent discharge in
terms of spent wash.

Conventional Method: Distilleries in India follow aerobic or anaerobic treatment

methods for effluent treatment.

Our Approach:

Our technology does not use the conventional methods, rather produces condensate
water from spent wash and reuse for molasses dilution thus saving groundwater with
zero discharge. In this yeast food is added directly in wort before pitching the yeast which
helps yeast to grow healthy and multiply faster.

Methodology:-

Molasses

Yeast Water

YEAST FOOD

Fermentation process

Distillation Process Alcohol/ ethanol

Spent wash

Solids Evaporation

Condensate water

Reuse for dilution

Molasses
Yeast food (5ppm) was added in the wort made using molasses and condensate water.

Parameters Checked:
1. Total Reducing Sugar
2. Yeast Cell Count
3. pH
4. Specific gravity
5. Alcohol Percentage

Observations & Results:

1. Reduction of V.A in condensate

Sample V.A (ppm)

Cycle 0 4000

Cycle I 3180

Cycle II 2400

Cycle III 1714

Cycle IV 1337

Cycle V 1380

Table – 1 Figure - 1
 2. Fermentation Efficiency

Sample F.E (%)

Cycle I 92.5

Cycle II 93.11

Cycle III 91.3

Cycle IV 89.15

Cycle V 88.9

Table – 2 Figure - 2

Conclusion:-

1. Yeast Food effectively reduce Volatile Acids from 4000 ppm (cycle I) to 1380
ppm (cycle V) by using 100% condensate water

2. By using Yeast Food with condensate water the fermentation efficiency remains
as same as ground water i.e., 91 ±2 %

References:-
1. Henry Lane J, Eynon Lewis. (1934), Determination of Reducing sugars by Fehling’s
solution with methylene blue indicator. London N Rodger. PP 8.
2. PROVOST & WALLERT RESEARCH Investigating the Biochemistry & Cellular
Physiology of NHE1 EST. 1998 : Hemocytometer Cell Counting Protocol

3. Joint Expert Committee of Food Additives (JECFA)

4. pH and Buffer solutions, Standard methods of Biochemical Analysis by

S.R.Thimmaiah, Chapter 2, pp.4-10, Pub: Kalyani Publishers, Noida.