Distiller has spirited approach to circular economy

The most well-known baijiu distiller in Southwest China's Guizhou province, Kweichow Moutai Group, has achieved a resource utilization rate of 100 percent from its waste in baijiu production, according to the company's circular economy wing.

Achieving a synergy of development in ecological, social and economic benefits, it is able to reuse all waste and minimize its discharge of water pollutants, emissions and solid waste.

The result has been made possible through the operation of an industrial park run by Kweichow Moutai Distillery (Group) Circular Economy Industry Investment and Development Co.

Jiang Youfeng, its deputy general manager, said that the park has developed four pillar products: baijiu base spirit, organic fertilizer, fermented feed and biomass biogas, on the back of an annual capacity to process 300,000 metric tons of waste, all by-products of baijiu production.

Aside from distillers' grains, the park also disposes of straw that is used in the baijiu fermentation process.

Jiang said the company ensures distillers' grains are processed for utilization to the fullest extent.

The grains are first fermented to produce feed, maximizing their high starch and protein content. This process can produce 20,000 tons of feed annually, Jiang said.

According to the company, since 2019, the extensive application of organic fertilizers produced in the industrial park has improved the soil quality of 66,700 hectares of sorghum and wheat fields that serve as Kweichow Moutai's supply bases.

Jiang said that the distillers' grains are then used to produce organic fertilizer or to generate biogas. Biogas production creates a closed-loop circular system within the industrial park, he added.

"The park has the capacity to produce 10 million cubic meters of biomass biogas per year, which is utilized in the distillation process," he said. "The high concentration of wastewater generated from distillation can be used as a raw material for further biogas production."

Jiang said the company will further enhance its research and development efforts to explore high-value applications for distillers' grains, with one of the priorities being their use in making cosmetics.

Moutai baijiu's grains contain numerous anti-aging and whitening components. Using biotechnology, these can be extracted for use as ingredients in high-end cosmetics.

The company also plans to use its high-concentration wastewater to cultivate microorganisms that can produce a natural polymer called PHA, or Phytohemagglutinin, which can be extracted to manufacture biodegradable materials. Additionally, they intend to use distillers' grains to cultivate insect protein for producing pet food.

"In the future, brewing by-products may be transformed into a diverse array of substances and products that can meet our needs for a better life," he said.