SmartLab® Digital Water empowers water treatment operators to go beyond process control—enabling a smarter, data-driven approach to performance monitoring and optimization. By seamlessly connecting process data, lab measurements, and real-time insights, SmartLab® offers unparalleled visibility into every aspect of plant operations.

The SmartLab® Dashboard is the natural extension of this digital ecosystem: a bird’s-eye reporting tool that transforms operational data into clear, actionable intelligence. It allows breweries to monitor treatment efficiency, track compliance, and understand the total cost of ownership (TCO) at a glance—unlocking opportunities to reduce operational expenditure, recover energy, and improve long-term sustainability.

This case study illustrates how the SmartLab® Dashboard supports operational excellence in a brewery wastewater treatment plant.

Performance, Compliance and OPEX

At the top of the dashboard, key treatment metrics are presented, including:

• Hydraulic Load: 40% of the WWTP’s design capacity used during the selected week, with an influent flow of 1319 m³/day.
• Organic Load: COD removal efficiency reached 87%, and TSS removal 59%.
• Nutrient Residues: Effluent concentrations showed 6.1 mg/l TN, 7.1 mg/l TP, and a pH of 8.2—indicating a stable and compliant discharge.

These values confirm the plant is performing well within operational targets while allowing early intervention in case of any deviations.

Cost Efficiency & Energy Insight

Operational expenditure (OPEX) is tracked in real-time:

• Chemical Cost: 0.43 €/m³ for all dosing agents, including caustic, coagulant, and acid.
• Electricity Cost: 0.09 €/m³, primarily for aeration and pumping systems.
• Total OPEX: 0.52 €/m³, equaling 685.88 € per day for treating 1319 m³ of brewery effluent.

Opportunity Cost: Biogas Loss

During this week, the plant flared 1,191 Nm³/day of biogas instead of recovering it for energy. This equated to a lost revenue of 679 €/day, or 0.45 €/m³. Had this energy been valorized, the net treatment cost could have dropped to just 6.88 €/day—showcasing the tangible benefits of circular resource recovery.

This SmartLab OPEX Dashboard offers a powerful tool to not only monitor performance but also identify cost-saving opportunities and guide long-term operational strategy.