Grant: Alliance Grants
University of Guelph
$154,075.00
Valorization of Skim Milk and Cheese Whey Waste Streams: Waste-to-Worth
FY 2024-25
Summary
The dairy industry in Canada produces large amounts of perishable liquid streams with excess solids-not-fat (SNF). It is estimated that dairy farmers in Canada discard up to 300 million gallons of skim milk annually. Moreover, out of the almost 7 million tons of whey produced in Canada, a larger portion is discarded without going through additional processing. The high concentration of organic substances (usually 200 to 300 times the organic loading of municipal wastewater) in these steams poses a major pollution problem for the dairy industry, for which an effective and permanent solution is urgently needed. This project aims to address cost-effective technologies to recover valuable substances in waste dairy products, primarily skim milk and whey. The adsorption of whey proteins onto bentonite clay offers a simple and low-cost approach to transforming waste dairy products into a lactose-rich solution that has great potential for further valorization. Accordingly, the objectives of the expanded research program under the NSERC Alliance program are to optimize key process parameters in the context of variable sources of dairy waste products, including different types of cheese whey, investigate the desorption of whey protein to enable protein fractionation and concentration, and investigate the application of acid modified bentonite to improve adsorption capacity and enable the simultaneous separation of casein and whey protein fractions in waste skim milk. Furthermore, this research project aims at investigating the utilization of a lactose-rich solution as a feedstock for a microbial fuel cell (MFC) or microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and the valorization of the deproteinated liquid phase produced after adsorption through calcium phosphate recovery. Last but not least, the project aims to investigate the use of thickening agents to facilitate a higher inclusion of the deproteinated lactose solution in cattle rations. This project will improve the environmental sustainability of dairy industries and ultimately enhance Canada's ambitious goal of becoming world leaders in the application of circular economy principles.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
597650-2024
Name nom
Abbassi, Bassim BA
Department département
Engineering, School of
Organization id
24
Institution établissement
University of Guelph
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2024
Award amount
154075
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
400
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Environment
Area of application fr
Environnement
Research subject code
1500
Research subject group en
Environmental engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie de l'environnement
Research subject en
Environmental engineering
Research subject fr
Génie de l'environnement
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Valorization of Skim Milk and Cheese Whey Waste Streams: Waste-to-Worth
Keywords
adsorption; bentonite; cheese whey; hydroxyapatite; lactose; microbial fuel cell; protein; skim milk; solids-not-fat (snf); thickening agent
Application summary
The dairy industry in Canada produces large amounts of perishable liquid streams with excess solids-not-fat (SNF). It is estimated that dairy farmers in Canada discard up to 300 million gallons of skim milk annually. Moreover, out of the almost 7 million tons of whey produced in Canada, a larger portion is discarded without going through additional processing. The high concentration of organic substances (usually 200 to 300 times the organic loading of municipal wastewater) in these steams poses a major pollution problem for the dairy industry, for which an effective and permanent solution is urgently needed. This project aims to address cost-effective technologies to recover valuable substances in waste dairy products, primarily skim milk and whey. The adsorption of whey proteins onto bentonite clay offers a simple and low-cost approach to transforming waste dairy products into a lactose-rich solution that has great potential for further valorization. Accordingly, the objectives of the expanded research program under the NSERC Alliance program are to optimize key process parameters in the context of variable sources of dairy waste products, including different types of cheese whey, investigate the desorption of whey protein to enable protein fractionation and concentration, and investigate the application of acid modified bentonite to improve adsorption capacity and enable the simultaneous separation of casein and whey protein fractions in waste skim milk. Furthermore, this research project aims at investigating the utilization of a lactose-rich solution as a feedstock for a microbial fuel cell (MFC) or microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and the valorization of the deproteinated liquid phase produced after adsorption through calcium phosphate recovery. Last but not least, the project aims to investigate the use of thickening agents to facilitate a higher inclusion of the deproteinated lactose solution in cattle rations. This project will improve the environmental sustainability of dairy industries and ultimately enhance Canada's ambitious goal of becoming world leaders in the application of circular economy principles.
