Overview
Arbok-Dairy is a zero-waste platform for dairy effluents — whey, wash water, and mixed liquid byproducts. Using deep-vacuum thermodynamic separation, it processes waste at ambient temperature without chemicals, membranes, or consumables, recovering up to 93 % clean water plus marketable fractions: lactose, proteins, minerals, and fats. Unlike biogas, composting, or chemical neutralization, it eliminates odor, methane, and pathogens through vacuum alone, converting a disposal liability into a profit center. Designed for on-site deployment at dairy facilities of any scale.
Applications
Primary use cases: on-site dairy waste processing (whey, wash water, mixed effluents); whey valorization and component recovery; water reuse within food production lines; zero-discharge compliance.
Industries and users: dairy, food & beverage, animal feed, pharma (water reuse).
Scale: medium industrial (200 t/day per unit) to large (980+ t/day, 5 units).
Operating Principle
Dairy waste enters a deep-vacuum reactor where water evaporates at ambient temperature without heating. The vacuum simultaneously neutralizes pathogens, eliminates volatile compounds (methane, ammonia, sulfur gases), and enables phase-selective separation. Clean water vapor is condensed and collected; lactose, proteins, minerals, and fats remain as dry or semi-dry concentrate. The process is continuous, fully enclosed, and chemical-free.
Limitations: consistent feed quality required; composition variation affects output ratios; minimum throughput 200 t/day per unit.
Key Parameters
| Parameter | Conventional (biogas/composting) | Arbok-Dairy |
|—|—|—|
| Energy use | 80–150 kWh/ton | 1–2 kWh/ton |
| Processing cost | $20–150/ton | $0.12–0.24/ton |
| Water recovery | 0 % | 93 % |
| Odor emissions | High | Zero |
| Chemical inputs | Required | None |
| Pathogen elimination | Partial | 100 % |
Per unit: 200 t/day; ~60 m² footprint (vertical 20-ft tank); fully automated. System for 980 t/day: 5 units / ~300 m².
Output per 980 t waste: clean water ~911 t (~93 %), lactose up to 48 t, proteins ~8.5 t, minerals ~12.5 t, fats (technical) ~2–3 t.
Architecture and Components
Core modules: vacuum reactor chamber (evaporation + phase separation); condensation unit (clean water); dry-fraction extraction system (lactose, proteins, minerals, fats); automation & control (flow, quality, auto-halt). Modular — 1 unit = 200 t/day, stacked in parallel to any capacity.
Advantages
Technical: no membranes/filters/heat exchangers; 100 % pathogen kill; zero brine; ambient-temperature operation.
Economic: $0.12–0.24/ton vs $20–150/ton; recovered lactose ~$1 000/ton, proteins $800–1 500/ton, fats $1 000–1 500/ton; avoided disposal up to $150/ton.
Environmental: zero atmospheric emissions, zero discharge, no methane/odor, no reagents; carbon-credit eligible.
Strategic: ESG compliance, regulatory future-proofing, on-site water independence, no logistics dependency.
Integrations
Compatible with existing dairy lines (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt). SCADA-compatible, auto-halt on deviation, remote monitoring. Output water is food/utility-grade, directly reusable on-site.
Deployment & Operation
Steps: site assessment → waste-stream characterization → unit-count sizing → installation → commissioning. Ambient temperature, standard industrial environment. Continuous feed → vacuum separation → automated product routing → monitoring. 1 operator per multiple units, minimal training.
TRL
Proposed TRL 6 — ⚠ confirm. The note states TRL 8–9 ("industrial trials validated, food-industry certified, commercial deployments active"). If documented (trial sites, certificates, live installs), 8–9 is justified; otherwise a defensible interim claim is TRL 6 (prototype validated in relevant environment). Confirm actual status.
Market Potential
Global dairy processing generates ~700 million tons of whey and liquid waste annually. Target markets: EU, North Africa, Middle East, Asia. Drivers: tightening wastewater regulation, zero-discharge mandates, ESG pressure, rising disposal costs.
Typical Project Economics
Project size: 200–1 000 t/day. CAPEX: medium (modular line). OPEX: $0.12–0.24/ton. Recovered product value: up to $1 500/ton (proteins). Payback: fast — offset by disposal savings plus product revenue.
Risk Factors
Consistent waste-stream quality required; conservative dairy operators slow to adopt; food-grade certification per jurisdiction; high input volumes (200 t/day minimum) need integrated supply chain.
Related Technologies
Arbok-DryMilk · Arbok-Pulp · ARBOK-EFFLUENT · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)