Real-time BOD/COD monitoring at a Scottish Distillery

Proteus Instruments were approached, through its exclusive distributor for the Scottish distillery market (SEM Group), to provide real-time BOD/COD data for a well-known distillery. Crafting spirits composes of a complex and nuanced process which can create a lot of challenges along the way, particularly with regard to discharge regulations. The requirement was for real-time BOD monitoring at the final effluent discharge pipe and ATP for cooling water, utilised on the cooling towers.

The distillery had previously been let down by a purchased UV-Vis based system which, even after 6 months of supplier-client collaboration, could not provide real-time BOD as was promised. Proteus Instruments were therefore asked to supply a fluorescence-based system for real-time BOD/COD, with a much more positive outcome.

A Proteus multi-parameter probe was purchased including a wide range of parameters (turbidity, temperature, conductivity, pH, ORP and NH4) to provide additional data, alongside BOD and COD. A successful two-week trial was carried out during which both BOD and COD were monitored in real-time, providing live data direct to the operators. The data collected over the trial was then used to provide the bespoke site calibration for the distillery.

The Proteus is easy and quick to deploy, particularly when compared to UV-Vis systems, and was fully installed by SEM within 30 minutes. Their system was deployed using our portable, solar powered telemetry system which provided them with near real-time data. Data is transmitted to a cloud-based server which can then be viewed by users and/or SCADA systems.

This Proteus can allow the distillery to provide feed-back control for its effluent discharge process, alerting personnel and ensuring that the distillery remains within compliance 24/7. The Proteus will also allow personnel to better understand their process and enable optimisation, whilst also making considerable savings of both energy and running costs. Storage of the real-time data on a cloud server allows for easier access and data tracking.

his is classic example of how revolutionary, robust and simple the Proteus is. The Proteus installation was quick and easy, able to be carried out by the client. A major advantage of a Proteus system is that it provides data from the moment of install, so overall trends can be observed straight-away and in real-time. A further site calibration is then key in gaining high accuracy and precision through the Proteus patented algorithm.

The client has been extremely impressed and we have the photos to prove it!