Utilization of cheese industry whey for biofuel–ethanol production

Abstract

Large quantities of whey are produced as a by-product during the manufacture of cheese and casein, and this must be disposed of or processed in an environmentally acceptable way. The key to the utilisation of this resource has been changing the perception of whey from a ‘waste material’ to an ‘opportunity’ for further processing. In our country, there has been a substantial increase in the production of cheese resulting in an increased accessibility of whey. India’s annual production is estimated at 650,000 tons of paneer and yielding 3.3 million tons of whey are produced per annum. By effectively utilizing the whey for the production of ethanol, the cost spent on the treatment of dairy waste to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand can be minimized and the ethanol produced can be utilized as bio-fuel for the automobiles and power generation.