Membrane Separation Processes for the Beer Industry: a Review and State of the Art

Beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, placing the brewing sector in a strategic economic position in the food industry. Beer production has a series of physical and chemical steps that are technically intensive when the production scale is increased. Although the production techniques have been improving for hundreds of years, many breweries still employ traditional techniques. The increasing consumption of beer and the competitive market have led the industry to search for alternative technologies to produce a better beer with reduced prices. Membrane separation processes are interesting alternatives that may be utilised in several steps of beer production and may replace some traditional and time-consuming techniques. The objective of this study is to summarise and present a literature survey of the membrane separation processes that are currently applied in the beer industry and those processes that have potential for future applications. The potential of microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, pervaporation, and gas separation to accomplish almost all solid-liquid-gas separations in a brewery is discussed, providing a clear outline for researchers on the main aspects and developments of the beer-membrane field.