{"id":1358,"date":"2020-07-22T11:49:16","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T11:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1358"},"modified":"2020-07-22T11:55:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T11:55:53","slug":"dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
Sarah Wild<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Dairies in Europe are major economic drivers in rural areas, but they produce significant waste from\u00a0cleaning and processing<\/a>.\u00a0Wastewater and milk residue, which are typically disposed of, are now being turned into new products such as phosphate-rich fertiliser and bioplastics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

The\u00a0EU produced\u00a0172.2 million tonnes of raw milk in 2018<\/a> and demand for milk is expected to rise in the coming years, particularly for export. People regionally and internationally rely on milk products. But dairies are part of food systems that have a huge impact on the planet.<\/p>\n

\u2018Food systems remain one of the key drivers of climate change and environmental degradation,\u2019\u00a0according to the European Commission<\/a>. Its\u00a0Farm to Fork\u00a0strategy<\/a>, unveiled in May, aims to shift the region\u2019s food system to bring environmental, health and social benefits and \u2018ensure that the recovery from the (Covid-19) crisis puts us onto a sustainable path\u2019.<\/p>\n

One way to achieve this is\u00a0by turning waste streams into value-added products.\u00a0Dairy is the\u00a0second-largest agricultural sector<\/a>\u00a0in the European Union after vegetables and horticultural plants, with\u00a0more than 12,000 milk processing and production sites<\/a>\u00a0in member states. For every litre of milk produced, about\u00a02.5 litres of wastewater<\/a>\u00a0is generated.<\/p>\n

\u2018We recognised that the dairy sector was one of the biggest sources of organic waste,\u2019 said Dr JJ Leahy, a chemist at the University of Limerick in Ireland. He leads a project called\u00a0REFLOW<\/a>, which aims to recover phosphorous from dairy-processing wastewater.<\/p>\n

If not treated properly, phosphorous-rich effluent can lead to problems in downstream water bodies. Issues include\u00a0eutrophication, where an excess of nutrients cause algae and plants to thrive, but leave little light and oxygen in the water for animal species.<\/p>\n

\u2018We want to produce a range of phosphorous-rich fertilisers and test them against conventional phosphorous mineral fertilisers,\u2019 said Dr Leahy.<\/p>\n

Commercial fertilisers tend to obtain phosphorous \u2013 vital for plant growth and health \u2013 from mined phosphate rock, a non-renewable resource.<\/p>\n

Wastewater<\/strong><\/p>\n

REFLOW, which began in 2019, is developing techniques to remove phosphorous at different stages of the wastewater management process. The pan-European project is headquartered in Ireland, which has a large dairy industry.<\/p>\n

Currently, wastewater is treated at a water treatment plant, where it is turned into a denser sludge through chemical processes to reduce the volume to be disposed of. REFLOW wants to harness biological techniques for turning wastewater into sludge so that fewer chemicals are required.<\/p>\n

\u2018The next step would be to take that, incinerate it, and produce an ash,\u2019 said Dr Leahy. That ash could be used as a fertiliser or it could be used as a source of calcium phosphate, for use as a weak fertiliser or even in medical supplements.<\/p>\n

Converting the original sludge to calcium phosphate adds costs, says Dr Leahy, so they are looking at which products work best in a particular country. For example, in the Netherlands, where farmers already export\u00a0dairy farm-derived phosphate<\/a> in manure, wastewater ash might be more economically viable as it would be lighter and thus cheaper to move. In Ireland, sludge – tested for its properties and effectiveness in growing plants – could simply be spread on the land, replacing commercial products.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u2018We recognised that the dairy sector was one of the biggest sources of organic waste.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dr JJ Leahy, University of Limerick, Ireland<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Finding sustainable uses for dairy waste is increasingly important as demand for milk grows.<\/p>\n

In Ireland, in the last year alone, milk demand has gone up by 50%, says Dr Bill Morrissey, programme manager of the\u00a0AgriChemWhey<\/a>\u00a0project, which is exploring how to convert dairy waste into new products.<\/p>\n

Six years ago, Dr Morrissey and colleagues at Glanbia, Ireland\u2019s largest dairy processor, realised as they watched dairy demand rise, that they needed to manage this growth in a sustainable manner \u2013 and that one of the major bottlenecks was dairy waste.<\/p>\n

Whey permeate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whey from cheesemaking now forms the backbone of Glanbia\u2019s sports nutrition arm. Whey proteins are pre-digested and easily absorbed and promote muscle growth \u2013 something in high demand amongst athletes. However, once the whey protein and solids have been extracted from the dairy waste, whey permeate \u2013 a liquid \u2013 is left behind.<\/p>\n

Glanbia worked with a number of research partners to develop a biotechnological process to transform whey permeate into polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, which could be used in packaging and fabric, for example.<\/p>\n

Their pilot facility is able to handle about 10,000 litres of whey permeate, but with the new industrial facility, the project is targeting 25,000 tonnes.<\/p>\n

\u2018The polylactic acid produced from the feedstock we use is more sustainable than current methods,\u2019 Dr Morrissey said. \u2018It is a second-generation feedstock \u2013 a byproduct of a byproduct.\u2019<\/p>\n

From a sustainability point of view, he says it ticks a lot of boxes. \u2018This is very important in terms of climate change.\u2019<\/p>\n

The company is partially owned by the\u00a0Glanbia Co-operative Society<\/a>, which is made up of farming cooperatives and farmers who benefit from this additional revenue stream.<\/p>\n

\u2018It allows us to manage a sustainable disposal, but also adds value to our farmers\u2019 milk and supports family-owned farms,\u2019 Dr Morrissey said.<\/p>\n

Irish farming comprises numerous relatively small farms \u2013 of about 100 cows per farmer \u2013 many of which are family-owned and passed down through the generations, he says. According to\u00a0the Irish statistics office<\/a>, of the 137,500 farms in Ireland,\u00a0137,100 are family-owned<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He sees projects of these as safeguarding a rural way of life as farming space globally becomes more constrained.<\/p>\n

It offers an enticement for people to stay in rural areas, according to Dr Morrissey, instead of moving to cities in search of opportunity \u2013 something not unique to Ireland. \u2018That is the big part of this project for me: this is a project that can be replicated throughout the world.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media. <\/em><\/p>\n

Published by\u00a0<\/em>Horizon<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sarah Wild Dairies in Europe are major economic drivers in rural areas, but they produce significant waste from\u00a0cleaning and processing.\u00a0Wastewater and milk residue, which are typically disposed of, are now being turned into new products such as phosphate-rich fertiliser and bioplastics. The\u00a0EU produced\u00a0172.2 million tonnes of raw milk in 2018 and demand for milk is … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment"],"yoast_head":"\nDairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sarah Wild Dairies in Europe are major economic drivers in rural areas, but they produce significant waste from\u00a0cleaning and processing.\u00a0Wastewater and milk residue, which are typically disposed of, are now being turned into new products such as phosphate-rich fertiliser and bioplastics. The\u00a0EU produced\u00a0172.2 million tonnes of raw milk in 2018 and demand for milk is ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"982\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":986,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Earth, Energy & Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2020\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/07\\\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":982,\"caption\":\"Dairies generate a substantial amount of organic waste, including wastewater and whey, which are now being used to create products like bioplastics.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/1358\\\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food","og_description":"Sarah Wild Dairies in Europe are major economic drivers in rural areas, but they produce significant waste from\u00a0cleaning and processing.\u00a0Wastewater and milk residue, which are typically disposed of, are now being turned into new products such as phosphate-rich fertiliser and bioplastics. The\u00a0EU produced\u00a0172.2 million tonnes of raw milk in 2018 and demand for milk is ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":982,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food","datePublished":"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/"},"wordCount":986,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","articleSection":["Earth, Energy & Environment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2020","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/","name":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","datePublished":"2020-07-22T11:49:16+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-22T11:55:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","width":1280,"height":982,"caption":"Dairies generate a substantial amount of organic waste, including wastewater and whey, which are now being used to create products like bioplastics."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1358\/dairy-waste-is-being-turned-into-bioplastics-and-plant-food\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dairy waste is being turned into bioplastics and plant food"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/07\/Cow_female_black_white.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-lU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":534,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/534\/bioeconomies-aim-to-become-a-beating-heart-of-local-communities-both-rural-and-urban\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":0},"title":"Bioeconomies aim to become a beating heart of local communities, both rural and urban","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As the EU aims to head towards a sustainable, low-carbon future, experts in bio-based industries at the forefront of this transition are turning food waste and waste-water sludge into bioplastics and converting decommissioned factories into new biorefineries by working with local populations. According to figures cited in renewed EU plans\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Firms such as Novamont in Italy are using renewable resources to develop bioplastics and biochemicals, through the use of biorefineries.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/10\/materbiopolymer_sm.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1494,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1494\/mushroom-cultivation-produces-three-times-its-weight-in-waste-its-now-being-turned-into-burgers-and-fertiliser\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":1},"title":"Mushroom cultivation produces three times its weight in waste. It\u2019s now being turned into burgers and fertiliser","author":"Sandrine Ceurstemont","date":"November 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Cultivating mushrooms produces a lot of waste. For every kilogram of mushrooms produced, about three kilograms of\u00a0soil-like material\u00a0containing straw, manure and peat is left behind. In the EU, this results in\u00a0more than 3 billion kilograms of waste\u00a0per year. Managing this waste is a challenge. Although it is rich in organic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mushroom growing matter makes great compost but contains a lot of water, making it heavy and unprofitable to transport, so it currently goes to waste. Image credit - needpix.com\/\/licenced under CC0","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/11\/mushrooms.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/266\/not-so-fantastic-single-use-plastic-to-get-an-eco-friendly-makeover\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":2},"title":"Not so fantastic single-use plastic to get an eco-friendly makeover","author":"Rex Merrifield","date":"May 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Milk-based edible food packaging and ready-meal trays made from wood could help reduce the pervasiveness\u00a0of single-use plastic, a major cause of environmental pollution adversely affecting wildlife, habitats and human health. It may come as a shock to some, but around half of all the plastic products in the world are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A packaging film made from the milk protein casein is water-soluble and biodegradable.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/IMG_6901-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1889,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1889\/meet-natures-plastic-eaters\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":3},"title":"Meet nature\u2019s plastic eaters","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"What to do with the non-biodegradable plastics used in food packaging and agriculture? Researchers are turning their attention to microorganisms, enzymes, earthworms and insects to break down plastics. \u00a0 Plastics are everywhere, and farms are no exception. Plastic sheets are spread on the ground as a form of mulch to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/earthworms_shutterstock_1431156794.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/earthworms_shutterstock_1431156794.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/earthworms_shutterstock_1431156794.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/earthworms_shutterstock_1431156794.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1882,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1882\/digital-technologies-rescue-food-from-landfill\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":4},"title":"Digital technologies rescue food from landfill","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"November 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Food waste has reached colossal proportions and the magnitude of the problem requires equally massive resources with the potential to supply sustainable answers. What better than the dynamic digital databases and advanced analytics we literally have access to \u201cat our fingertips\u201d. \u00a0 Around 88 million tonnes of food are wasted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/HM-digital-food-waste_tablet_zero_waste-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2371,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2371\/beyond-the-bin-giving-biowaste-a-second-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":1358,"position":5},"title":"Beyond the bin: giving biowaste a second life","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"May 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Cities across Europe are working with researchers to turn organic waste such as coffee grounds into valuable goods. By\u00a0\u00a0PIETER DEVUYST It\u2019s hard to imagine a world without coffee given how many people enjoy kick-starting their day with a freshly brewed cup. Once the coffee beans are roasted and brewed, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/05\/8-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}