PFAS In Brewery CO2 Line Lubricants And Cleaning Products

Lubricants and cleaning products used on CO2 lines in breweries may be releasing persistent PFAS chemicals into wastewater streams

Monday, November 17, 2025 - Breweries have long been seen as community-friendly operations, but new research is revealing complications that most beer makers never expected. Many brewing facilities rely on specialized lubricants and CIP cleaning products to keep CO2 delivery lines, valves, gaskets, and fermentation tanks running safely. These products sometimes contain PFAS compounds that help reduce foaming, prevent corrosion, and stabilize equipment during temperature swings. When workers flush CO2 lines or rinse tanks after a cleaning cycle, small amounts of PFAS can wash into floor drains and enter public wastewater systems. Brewers who carefully recycle grain, conserve water, and limit waste are surprised to learn that standard sanitation practices could contribute to PFAS groundwater pollution. As communities become more aware of PFAS exposure standards and how little contamination it takes to affect a water supply, more people are asking whether everyday brewery maintenance might be a hidden upstream source. Even small breweries can produce a steady flow of rinse water throughout the week, and repeated discharges add up over time. Because PFAS are designed to resist heat and cleaning processes, they remain intact as they move through drains and into treatment plants that cannot remove synthetic chemicals. For neighborhoods located near clusters of breweries, this pattern could create localized hotspots of PFAS groundwater pollution that go unnoticed for years.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS compounds used in industrial lubricants and cleaning mixtures are extremely resistant to heat, detergents, and typical wastewater treatment processes. Studies reviewing industrial rinse water have detected measurable PFAS levels in facilities that regularly clean equipment coated with fluorinated stabilizers. Breweries that rely on CIP foaming agents, CO2 line lubricants, and tank-cleaning blends may unknowingly release PFAS through each sanitation cycle. Because the wastewater from breweries usually flows into standard municipal sewer lines, PFAS travels directly to treatment facilities that are not designed to eliminate synthetic chemicals. As PFAS drinking-water rules tighten under new federal guidance, utilities are expanding upstream investigations to include non-traditional industries such as beverage production, food processing, and small-scale manufacturing. Environmental researchers warn that breweries located in older industrial neighborhoods may be at even greater risk of contributing to PFAS groundwater pollution because combined sewer systems allow more direct movement of contaminants into local waterways during storms. Some states are already encouraging breweries to review their chemical inventories and switch to PFAS-free lubricants, plant-based cleaning foams, or water-based degreasers. Others are exploring whether high-volume users of CO2 line cleaners should install small pre-treatment filters to capture PFAS before wastewater enters public systems. For now, most breweries are only beginning to understand how PFAS exposure-symptoms standards influence the cleaning supplies they purchase and the waste they discharge. Breweries may soon face stronger expectations to choose safer lubricants and cleaning solutions as PFAS rules tighten nationwide. Regulators will likely require clearer labeling so breweries know whether their CO2 line products contain chemicals linked to PFAS groundwater pollution.

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