The Cost of Going Green in the Wine Industry

Abstract

Salinity build up in the San Joaquin Valley has been identified as one of the most important issues affecting water quality in California. As the wine industry continues to grow, it becomes even more imperative to find new ways to reduce salinity buildup. The cleaning process is one aspect of production where there is potential to reduce the overall environmental impact. This study compares various new wine tank cleaning methods and "green" chemicals based on their cleaning capabilities, salinity content, and utilization costs. Viable, cost effective solutions are found that have the potential to drastically reduce salinity in waste streams while reducing utilization costs as well. Specifically, the conversion of the standard Sterox K cleaning chemical to the newly developed Vitipure across all California wine, could reduce total loads of sodium (Na) and potassium (K) in winery water waste streams to negligible amounts while decreasing utilization costs by at a minimum of $1.11USD per 100,000 litre tank. The reduction in Na and K has the potential to drastically affect effluent waste streams across California as well as globally.