Germans turn whey into bio ethanol
German dairy products group Theo Müller announced that it will start to produce bio ethanol from whey (lactoserum), a byproduct from cheese production. The group, located in Leppersdorf near Dresden, will start the construction of a dedicated ethanol plant this month.
The company is investing €20 million (US$27 million) in the complex, which will be the first to make bio fuel from whey. Stefan Müller, CEO of the group, says that by the end of 2007 production will come online and when maximum capacity is reached, the plant will make 10 million liters (2.64 million gallons) of ethanol per year.
Low cost
The lactose present in whey is yeast fermented and the resultant ethanol is distilled off and then purified to one of eight grades depending on its intended end use. For the German dairy products group, whey is a low cost bio fuel feedstock. “For this reason, we are very competitive and independent of the price developments on the bio fuels market”, says Müller.
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Müller Group
