Upcycling Strategies of Byproduct and Waste

The generation of waste and byproducts is ubiquitous in the dairy industry. Instead of landfilling or recycling, these streams can be turned into value-added products, such as sweeteners, micronutrients, ingredients, and additives. Valorization of these materials is multidisciplinary since it involves applying chemical and physical methods to create a desirable modification. This presentation summarizes our research efforts in creating value from byproducts and waste. Upcycling is a guiding philosophy for the work presented here – a combination of processes that convert materials into new ones of higher quality and increased functionality. The upcycling strategies are illustrated under four scenarios: 1) converting lactose streams into sweeteners via heterogeneous catalysis; 2) extraction and fractionation of milk phospholipids with switchable solvents; 3) converting ice cream wastewater into functional peptides through subcritical hydrolysis; and 4) converting ice cream waste into biochar and crude oil via hydrothermal liquefaction. Illustrating upcycling in byproduct streams has significant potential for improving circularity in the industry.