Decision support for waste minimization in wine‐making processes

AbstractDuring the production of wine from grapes, large quantities of waste effluent are generated from various units of operation and processes. However, because of the ill‐defined nature of waste generation during vinification, waste minimization is usually practiced on an ad hoc basis, which may be subject to large process inefficiencies. An integrated intelligent decision support system dealing with utility waste from vinification processes, developed within a fuzzy logic framework, is reported in this paper. The knowledge incorporated into the system is mainly sourced from plant experts and is contained in a weight structure associated with a questionnaire to be completed by the experts. The system is capable of analyzing waste‐generating mechanisms, evaluating waste minimization practices, and providing decision support toward improved waste management. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2005