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. 2023 Apr 21;13(4):450.
doi: 10.3390/membranes13040450.

A Novel Hybrid Membrane Process Coupled with Freeze Concentration for Phosphorus Recovery from Cheese Whey

Ipan Hidayat  1 , Lidia Paredes  1 , Pablo M Binder  1 , Nagore Guerra-Gorostegi  1 , Mabel Mora  1 , Sergio Ponsá  1 , Darren L Oatley-Radcliffe  2 , Laia Llenas  1
Affiliations

A Novel Hybrid Membrane Process Coupled with Freeze Concentration for Phosphorus Recovery from Cheese Whey

Ipan Hidayat et al. Membranes (Basel). .

Abstract

The ever-increasing demand for phosphorus fertilisers for securing global food production, coupled with finite phosphate rock reserves, is one of the emerging problems in the world. Indeed, phosphate rock is listed as an EU critical raw material, triggering attention to find an alternative source to substitute the use of this limited resource. Cheese whey, characterized by a high content of organic matter and phosphorus, represents a promising feedstock for phosphorus recovery and recycling. An innovative application of a membrane system coupled with freeze concentration was assessed to recover phosphorus from cheese whey. The performances of a microfiltration membrane (0.2 µm) and an ultrafiltration (200 kDa) membrane were evaluated and optimized under different transmembrane pressures and crossflow velocities. Once the optimal operating conditions were determined, a pre-treatment including lactic acid acidification and centrifugation was applied to increase the permeate recovery. Finally, the efficiency of progressive freeze concentration for the treatment of the permeate obtained from the optimum conditions (UF 200 kDa with TMP of 3 bar, CFV of 1 m/s and lactic acid acidification) was evaluated at specific operating conditions (-5 °C and 600 rpm of stirring speed). Finally, 70% of phosphorus could be recovered from cheese whey using the coupled technology of the membrane system and freeze concentration. A phosphorus-rich product was obtained with high agronomic value, which constitutes a further step towards establishing a broader circular economy framework.

Keywords: cheese whey; freeze concentration; membrane system; microfiltration; phosphorus; ultrafiltration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The schematic diagram of the membrane filtration apparatus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic design of the lab scale progressive freeze concentration system.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The permeate flux of 0.2 µm MF membranes with the function of time with different CFVs and constant TMP.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The permeate flux of UF membrane with the function of time in different CFVs and TMPs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of pre-treatments on the permeate flux of (a) MF membranes 0.2 µm (CFV = 0.5 m/s and TMP = 0.8 bar) and (b) UF membranes 200 kDa (CFV = 1.0 m/s and TMP = 3 bar) with the function of time.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Phosphorus recovery percentage obtained during stages one and two of membrane filtration system coupled with freeze concentration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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