A review of salty waste stream management in the Australian dairy industry

Chen, George Q.; Talebi, Sahar; Gras, Sally L.; Weeks, Mike; Kentish, Sandra E.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.07.056

Cited by 51 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…In particular, salt (sodium chloride) is added to protein-rich cheese curds to reduce the water activity in the production of semi hard or hard cheese (e.g., Cheddar and Colby). The excess moisture, containing a large amount of the added salt is then expelled during the pressing processes, forming a brine stream called salty whey [1]. When salty whey is discharged from the cheese vat, the typical salt content (mainly NaCl) ranges from approximately 0.7 to 1.7 mol/L (4.1 to 10%) [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming salty whey into cleaning chemicals using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

Chen

Wang

et al. 2020

Desalination

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Large quantities of salty whey are produced during cheese manufacturing, posing an environmental problem. Here the feasibility of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) is evaluated for the first time as a mechanism to transform this saline effluent into sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid for reuse within the factory. The work also seeks to find the maximum acid and base concentration that can be achieved. For a pure sodium chloride solution, maximum acid/base concentrations of 3.6 ± 0.2 mol/L and 3.0 ± 0.3 mol/L are achieved using a stack of ten membranes including four bipolar membranes. The effects of proton leakage and water migration limit the generation of higher concentrations. The presence of calcium phosphate also has a negative effect on the EDBM performance, suggesting that pretreatment to remove this impurity is needed. In industrial practice, this pretreatment could be achieved by recycling around 9 % of the base produced to precipitate these salts. The use of a partially cyclic operation allows 99% demineralization of pretreated salty whey, with high purity acid/base solutions of concentration near 3.5 mol/L. This work demonstrates EDBM as an effective process for transforming salty whey into chemicals for clean in place and ion exchange resin regeneration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming salty whey into cleaning chemicals using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

Chen

Wang

et al. 2020

Desalination

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“…This makes this stream a suitable draw solution to be used in a forward osmosis process. Other saline streams that exhibit similar or higher salt concentrations include ion exchange and chromatography regeneration brines, or the brine from evaporation ponds [10]. Each of these streams could be discharged in a similar manner to current practice after use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pilot scale study on the concentration of milk and whey by forward osmosis

Chen

Artemi

Lee

et al. 2019

Separation and Purification Technology

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The concentration of skim milk and whey was investigated at a pilot scale using forward osmosis membranes with an installed membrane area of 24 m 2 . The pilot plant was operated in batch mode using a draw solution (48-57 g/L of NaCl) that mimics the potential brine streams available in a dairy processing plant. This approach avoids or limits the need for the regeneration of a synthetic draw solution. A concentration factor of ~2.5 was achieved for both the skim milk and fresh whey, resulting in a total solids concentration of ~21 wt% and 15 wt%, respectively. Increasing the transmembrane pressure was found to be effective in improving the water flux, whereas a much greater increase in the draw solution osmotic pressure would be needed to achieve the same enhancement of flux. This study also showed that small organic molecules, such as lactose, were not fully rejected by the forward osmosis membranes. A cleaning protocol was established for recovering the membrane performance after milk and whey concentration. The specific energy required for milk and whey concentration using only the forward osmosis step (5 -10 kWh/t water removed) is much lower than that required by reverse osmosis. Forward osmosis is an energy efficient and effective process for dairy applications if unlimited access to a brine stream can be made available within or in the proximity of dairy processing plants.

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“…Nutrient use efficiency, especially for nitrogen (N), is facilitated by maximizing beneficial microbial processes in dairy soil leading to less nutrient leaching and runoff, lower costs, and better outcomes for farmers (Bolland and Guthridge, 2007b;Chen et al, 2018;Erisman et al, 2018). Australia's ecological sustainability legislation under which the dairy industry operates is outlined in Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Commonwealth Government of Australia, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dairy soil bacterial responses to nitrogen application in simulated Italian ryegrass and white clover pasture

Svatos

Abbott

2019

Journal of Dairy Science

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Through clearing and use of fertilizer and legumes, areas of southwestern Australia's unique coastal sand plains can support relatively low-cost dairies. However, the ancient, highly weathered nature of the soils in this region makes the dairies susceptible to a range of threats, including nutrient leaching and erosion. Despite this, Western Australian dairy cows typically produce up to 5,500 L of milk per head annually supported by inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer (commonly 50:50 urea and ammonium sulfate) at rates up to <320 kg of N/ha per year. Where hotspots exist (up to 2,000 kg of N/ha per year), total N exceeds pasture requirements. We investigated plant and soil bacteria responses to N fertilizer rates consistent with Australian legislated production practices on dairy farms for pure and mixed swards of white clover (Trifolium repens) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) in a long-term pasture experiment in controlled glasshouse conditions. Although the soil bacterial community structure at phylum level was similar for white clover and Italian ryegrass, relative abundances of specific subgroups of bacteria differed among plant species according to the N fertilizer regimen. Marked increases in relative abundance of some bacterial phyla and subphyla indicated potential inhibition of N cycling, especially for N hotspots in soil. Ammonium concentration in soil was less correlated with dominance of some N-cycling bacterial phyla than was nitrate concentration. Changes in bacterial community structure related to altered nutrient cycling highlight the potential for considering this area of research in policy assessment frameworks related to nutrient loads in dairy soils, especially for N.

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A review of salty waste stream management in the Australian dairy industry

Cited by 51 publications

References 18 publications

Transforming salty whey into cleaning chemicals using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

Transforming salty whey into cleaning chemicals using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

A pilot scale study on the concentration of milk and whey by forward osmosis

Dairy soil bacterial responses to nitrogen application in simulated Italian ryegrass and white clover pasture

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