Technological and Scientifical Prospecting - Brewers' Spent Grains Conversion Bioprocesses with Emphasis on Composting and Biodigestion

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is one of the main solid residues in the beer industry. In Brazil, the number of beer-producing has grown, intensifying the generation of waste, mostly going to landfills and animal feed after the brewing process. Aiming to fit the global guidelines for applying a circular economy within the brewing scenario, the objective of this article was to carry out a technological and scientific prospection using BSG as a raw material in bioprocesses such as composting and biodigestion. As most of the registered establishments are small and medium-sized, economically viable sustainable processes were sought to manage this waste. A search was carried out on the Orbit (R) Intelligence and Web of Science platform on to collect the related bibliometric data, 95 patent documents and 1073 scientific works on BSG were found during the period from 2001 to 2021. However, it was observed that large beer-producing countries are the largest patent applicants, but they are not the largest producers of articles. It can be observed that BSG can be used for energy applications and as a raw material for bioprocesses. Therefore, it is important to analyze the sustainable development of the beer industry as it has a great economic impact.

Automated summary

This study aims to explore the technological and scientific prospects of using Brewer's spent grain (BSG) in order to align the brewing industry with global circular economy guidelines. By searching patent and scientific literature, it was found that major beer-producing countries excel in patent applications but not article production. The results indicate that BSG can be utilized for energy applications and as a raw material for bioprocesses.