Enabling Circularity by Reusing Wastewater from the Whey Concentration Process

Multi-tech whey processing line helps Arla Foods embrace water circularity while delivering approximately $113,500 of cost savings each year

It is widely recognized that dairy wastewater is a major global issue despite a lack of clarity about the full scale of the challenge. Wastewater from dairy processing operations typically has trace organics, including amino acids, and lactose. The high levels of COD/BOD frequently mean that intensive treatment is necessary before it can be safely discharged.

Every week, Arla Food’s facility in Denmark was discharging 1,000m³ of wastewater that had been generated during the production of 1,450 tons of mozzarella. Sending this wastewater to an external treatment facility was proving increasingly expensive, so Arla Foods was seeking a solution that would be both energy-efficient and require a minimal footprint.

A multi-tech solution, using reverse osmosis and nanofiltration FilmTec™ Hypershell™ membranes, is now used to concentrate and treat the water, allowing for its reuse as cleaning water. This approach means that all process streams can be reused or sold as valuable by-products. Embracing water circularity has improved the sustainability of Arla Food’s operations while delivering approximately $113,500 of cost savings each year. 

The precision-engineered, DuPont™ Hypershell™ elements offer energy savings up to 30% compared to mesh-wrapped elements. Read more about the multitude of advantages this product offers in the case study below.