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Dairy-industry processing activities in Europe produce large amounts of by-products and residues. Excess whey permeate and delactosed whey permeate, two major by-products streams that have yet to be brought into the circular economy, represent a significant bottleneck to a sustainably managed expansion of milk production in the EU.
In the past, delactosed whey permeate was spread on the land. However, this no longer happens because of the potential pollution risks posed by excess nitrates and phosphates. An alternative to land spreading is to incorporate the by-product into animal feed, or to use it in standard anaerobic digesters, but neither of these options has been widely adopted by the industry.
In a bid to find innovative ways to use these by-products the EU-funded AGRICHEMWHEY project is developing the world’s first biorefinery for dairy industry by-products. Industry is also contributing to the project through the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU).
‘We are building a state-of-the-art, industrial scale bio-refinery that will convert whey permeate and delactosed whey permeate into a lactic acid that can be used in bio-based products like biodegradable plastic, thereby feeding into the EU’s growing bio-based economy,’ says Bill Morrissey from Glandia Ireland, and AGRICHEMWHEY project coordinator.
From by-product to marketable products
AGRICHEMWHEY’s bio-refinery in Lisheen, Ireland will use an innovative fermentation process which turns the dairy by-product streams into lactic acid, calcium phosphate, fermentation residue and gypsum. The lactic acid can be used to produce bio-based plastics like biodegradable food packaging for dairy products, providing a key material for the EU’s fast-growing bio-based sector and making the dairy industry more circular.
Meanwhile, the calcium phosphate can be turned into a food supplement for humans, and the fermentation residue can be used by the agri-food industry for fertiliser. Gypsum, a soft sulphate mineral, can be used in commercial mushroom cultivation. It can also be added to fertilisers to limit water pollution since it binds phosphates and prevents nutrients from seeping into nearby water bodies.
‘Dairy by-product is a cheap and readily available source of fermentable lactose,’ says Morrissey. Moreover, it is an alternative to plant biomass used in the production of biodegradable plastics since it does not need to be grown in fields, using valuable land space, and already exists as a waste product.
‘We are creating a completely new value chain turning dairy by-product into bio-based products. So far, the bio-based sector has concentrated on plant-based biomass and not animal. This innovative technology will provide both the dairy industry and wider society with an opportunity for greater resource efficiency,’ Morrissey says.
Packaging plans
AGRICHEMWHEY also plans to produce a polylactic acid (PLA) from the lactic acid created at its refinery. The biodegradable plastic will then be used to make bottles and packaging films for dairy products, replacing the current petrochemical-based packaging and helping to make the dairy sector more circular and reducing emissions.
According to the project team, PLA produced using dairy by-product cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 340 % compared to the manufacturing of polypropylene packaging.
AGRICHEMWHEY researchers plan to track and record emissions at the refinery to demonstrate how many harmful emissions are avoided. They will also develop a business model to be shared with both the EU bio-based sector and the dairy processing industry to encourage the uptake of more sustainable dairy product manufacturing.