Menu
Menu
Converting dairy waste water into high value bioplastics and animal feed.
The EPA-funded Newtrients (Novel Ecosensitive Wastewater Treatment Recovering dairy industrial effluent nutrients) project has shown that compostable bioplastics can be generated from dairy waste, rather than from fossil fuels. In addition, it was demonstrated that duckweed can be grown on dairy processing wastewater, producing protein-rich biomass for use as feed for farm animals and thus creating a closed loop for plant nutrients
Newtrients has developed and demonstrated innovative wastewater treatment technology, coupled with valorisation of waste, resulting in the production of clean water, novel value-added products, reduced CO2 outputs, nutrient recycling and novel opportunities for rural industrial development. Along with anaerobic digestion another cascading approach is followed where first the wastewater is treated with bacterial consortium for converting high COD, BOD into volatile fatty acids as carbon source for bacterial PHA production. Subsequently, the dilute wastewater stream is then treated with Duckweed which is then grown and harvested for protein production. By working with industry, Newtrients has developed a pioneering cascading system for valorising dairy wastewater that couples microbial-based technologies of anaerobic digestion and aerobic dynamic feeding with duckweed (Lemnaceae) cultivation. Each step in the cascading system contributes an identifiable, value-added output that carries a financial benefit: 1. by treating dairy processing wastewater to discharge standard; 2. by generating value-added and marketable products with new income potential for the dairy processing industry; 3. by reducing dependence on finite fossil resources. There has been an upsurge in interest in Lemnaceae as a high-quality, protein-rich feed and/or foodstock, and particularly as a potential soybean replacement. The combination of wastewater remediation with valorisation makes Lemnaceae species of interest for the creation of closed-loop circular economy, systems. The modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE), anoxic/oxic process (A/O) was developed for biological nitrogen removal and is mostly used in dairy processing plant.
The PHA market size is projected to increase from USD 93 million in 2023 to USD 195 million by 2028, at a CAGR of 15.9%
Wastewater treatment, Bioplastic production, waste valorization
Benefitting the duckweed cultivators and dairy farmers by giving them additional source of revenue
Duckweed cultivators, Technology providers and End users (PHA and protein)
Dairy wastewater
4
Newtrients
Bacterial fermentation
PHA and protein
600 L wastewater per day
Ireland
2014
Subscribe to our newsletter for news updates…
Consortium
Subscribe to our newsletter for news updates…
Consortium
© InformBio • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site by Bright Idea
© InformBio • All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy • Site by Bright Idea