Potential utilisation methods for brewer’s spent grain: a review
Philipp Dancker, Karl Glas, Martina Gastl
Abstract
Abstract Brewing is an energy- and water-intensive operation. Efforts to increase the resource efficiency of a brewery usually only focus on the production itself in the form of internal measures. Wastewater and residual materials are usually neglected, although they have a high potential for reuse in a circular economy and energy recovery. To be prepared for a sustainable future, breweries need to act. This review gives an overview over the possibilities for the brewing industry to effectively utilise their highly abundant and perishable brewer’s spent grain to eliminate a potentially environmentally harmful disposal, redesign their biowaste into a biosorbent, and contribute their part in a circular economy.