Take Root Bio and Heriot-Watt University have successfully converted salty whey, a high-volume by-product of cheese production, into bioethanol, opening a potential new value stream for one of the dairy industry’s more difficult waste materials. Supported by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), the project uses the sugars in salty whey as feedstock for a bio-based process, while also producing a secondary stream that could potentially be recovered and reused. The UK generates around 95,000 tonnes of salty whey annually from cheddar and similar cheese production, with its combination of milk sugars and high salt content making disposal challenging and costly; individual dairy producers can generate tens of thousands of litres each week.
The partnership brings together Take Root Bio’s closed-loop resource approach, developed from its work in biosphere engineering and food production systems, with Heriot-Watt’s expertise in bio-based solutions, fermentation and waste valorisation. The teams are also exploring whether mobile production units could be located closer to dairy facilities, potentially reducing transportation requirements and improving scalability.
Heriot-Watt researchers said the project demonstrates how food and drink by-products containing valuable components can be transformed through biological processes rather than treated simply as waste. The approach could potentially reduce waste-management costs for dairy producers while creating feedstock for new bio-based products, linking dairy processing with the circular economy and resource-efficiency agenda.
Looking ahead, Take Root Bio and Heriot-Watt University are investigating whether similar techniques can be applied to fruit and vegetable processing by-products and are exploring ways to capture fermentation gases, including methane and hydrogen, for potential use in future food-production systems.
Source: Dairynews7x7 11 Sep, 2026 Read full article here
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