Anaerobic expanded bed treatment of whey

Abstract Anaerobic treatment of cheese whey offers the dual advantages of energy production and pollution control. Based on the results of a survey among cheese producers in New York State it is shown that up to 46% of the oil and gas needs of a cheese plant could be supplied by methane generated from the by-product whey. This paper also presents the results of a feasibility study with the anaerobic attached film expanded-bed reactor treating whey. It is shown that efficient treatment of whey is possible at low retention times and at high organic loading rates.