Research Progress on Recovery, Treatment and High-value Utilization of Cheese Whey Wastewater

Cheese production produces a large amount of organic wastewater, and untreated discharge is extremely harmful to the environment, which also wastes many resources. Based on introducing the main components of cheese whey wastewater, this paper reviews the treatment methods and resource utilization of cheese whey wastewater at home and abroad that have been used in recent years. The paramount manners of whey wastewater treatment and use are the membrane recovery technology of the main components of the cheese whey wastewater, the treatment technology of cheese whey wastewater, and the physical, chemical, and biological conversion of whey wastewater into biofuels (hydrogen, methane, and ethanol), electrical energy, and chemical commodities (lactic acid, propionic acid, and biopolymers). In view of the above research status, the prospect of the implementation of cheese whey wastewater treatment method is prospected, which aims to integrate different recycling routes more reasonably to determine the best treatment method for cheese whey wastewater.