Winery Wastewater Treatment System in Cape Town, South Africa

Project Background

This winery produces approximately 2 million liters of wine annually. Wastewater comes mainly from fermenter cleaning, grape pressing, and bottling operations. It is characterized by high organic strength, high suspended solids, and strong seasonal fluctuations (wastewater surges during the harvest season from February to April). The existing lagoon system occupied a large area, had low treatment efficiency, and emitted odors. With plans to develop tourism facilities nearby, the odor issue had to be addressed urgently.

MBBR Retrofit Solution

The lagoon was replaced with a packaged MBBR system using our pre‑assembled MBBR units at a 50% filling ratio. The aerobic MBBR effectively eliminated odors and occupied only 20% of the original lagoon area.

Retrofit Results

● COD removal efficiency increased from 65% to 95%.

● Ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency increased from 40% to 90%.

● Treatment capacity increased by 120% (from 50 m³/day to 110 m³/day).

● Odor issues completely resolved, enabling tourism development in the surrounding area.

● Effluent can be reused for vineyard irrigation, achieving water recycling.