SBIR Phase II: Microbial Fermentation Bioprocess to Produce and Extract Platform Chemicals from the Dairy Industry Acid Whey Waste Stream.

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to commercialize a novel fermentation technology offering a sustainable solution for dairy industry waste issues. The system is initially focused on upcycling acid whey waste from Greek yogurt production into treated water and natural food-grade bio-oils that are sustainable alternatives for chemicals sourced from palm oil. These systems will be installed on-site at yogurt plants and are expected to lower customer expenses by at least 20%, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by 90%. This pilot project will inform treatment of other problematic wastes, such as process line cleaning water and manure, as well as milk and cheese processing byproducts. The bio-oils produced this way could serve as animal feed and as drop-in alternatives for biofuels. This SBIR Phase II project proposes to optimize the system design of a novel fermentation technology. Evaluations are focused on upcycling acid whey waste from Greek yogurt production into treated water and bio-oil. Project objectives include: 1) bench-scale evaluations on bioreactor architecture and operating parameters, such as internal packing materials, gas dosing flowrates, and pH control; 2) bench-scale mass transfer optimizations performed on the current bio-oil extraction architecture, as well as on a novel membrane-less alternative. Results from bench-scale studies will inform process design and construction of a 2,000-gallon demonstration system installed at a Greek yogurt plant, where parallel bioprocesses will systematically evaluate operational parameters (temperature, pH, flow) at a larger scale to explore the trade space of acid whey treatment, production of bio-oil, and operating cost and optimize the operating parameters. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.