In 2019-20 the Brugal distillery in Dominican Republic completed an ambitious environmental project to turn spent wastewater into a fertiliser for our sugar cane growers and provide a clean water supply for use back in our distillery.
Vinasse is a by-product of rum distilling and is produced in large quantities in traditional processing plants. Historically it has been challenging to dispose of for all sugarcane-based distilleries across the world. The new £8.3m plant turns this to beneficial use in three ways:
1. The plant concentrates the vinasse sevenfold so it can then be safely transported back to our sugar cane suppliers for careful use as a natural fertiliser.
2. The plant captures the evaporated water which can then be used back in the distillery. This saves around 700m3 of freshwater use a day in the plant – the equivalent average daily water usage of 2,325 houses.
3. This investment supports our two existing anaerobic treatment plants where waste is treated to reduce pollution levels and produce biogas which provides for over half the fuel demand for steam production in the distillery.