EUBCE 2023 - Eric ROVIRA CAL - Scale-up and Operational Parameters Assessment of Selective VFA Production from Cheese Whey

Scale-up and Operational Parameters Assessment of Selective VFA Production from Cheese Whey

Short Introductive summary

Cheese dairies in the Basque Country (northern Spain) account for a considerable proportion of the agro-industrial activity, producing 32 million L of cheese whey (CW) per year. Since lactose is the main component of CW, it has great potential as a substrate for bioprocesses such as fermentation or anaerobic digestion. The fermentation of CW can lead to the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) that are used as building blocks in many sectors. The aim of this work is to selectively produce acetic and butyric acid from CW at the same time that optimizing the production conditions at laboratory and pilot scale. Lab-scale fermentation trials were conducted testing different pH and temperatures. Fermentation process was scaled up to a 10-L pilot plant, where it was operated in continuous mode and operational parameters (HRT and pH) influence were assessed. Moreover, the microbiological analyses showed a response to operating conditions, evolving from the initial inoculum to specialized bacteria. The results of this study show the potential of cheese whey as substrate for valorisation via fermentation and advance towards the optimization of VFA production.

E. Rovira Cal, CEIT, Donostia - San Sebastián, SPAIN
L. Besga, CEIT, Donostia - San Sebastián, SPAIN
T. Fernández-Arévalo, CEIT, Donostia - San Sebastián, SPAIN
E. Aymerich, CEIT, Donostia - San Sebastián, SPAIN