Potential Air and Groundwater Pollution from Continuous High Land Application of Cheese Whey

Abstract

Experiments were performed, using eighteen 280 cm deep soil columns with 20 cm inside diameter, to determine the relative amounts of nitrogenous compounds leached and volatilized from soils receiving high application rates of cheese whey during two seasons. Three soils (loamy sand, sandy loam and sandy clay loam) and two cheese whey application rates (560 and 840 kg-N ha¯1), that provided twice and three times the nitrogen requirement for corn crop, were investigated. The leaching and volatilization processes were monitored over a period of five months each season. The concentrations of nitrogenous compounds in the leachates obtained from three soils decreased with time and the soil type and whey application rate did not have any significant effect on the soil removal efficiency of these compounds. However, higher concentrations were observed in the second season of application. The decline in the ammonium nitrogen concentrations in the absence of plants and the initial increase in the nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen concentrations indicated that the nitrification process had taken place. The organic nitrogen losses in the leachates were 3.02-4.14 kg h¯1 (0.54-0.74 % of the initial total nitrogen). The total inorganic (NH 4 , NO 2 , NO 3 ) nitrogen losses in the leachates were 59-76 mg which is higher than the initial concentration of 55 mg indicating that the mineralization process had taken place. Volatilization of NH 3 was independent of soil type and whey application rate. About 3.41 g¯1ha¯1 (0.59 % of the initial total nitrogen) of nitrogen was lost to the atmosphere through volatilization Nitrite and nitrate are highly soluble and easily leach out of soil solution. Therefore, continuous application of cheese whey at higher rates may result in ground water contamination and eventually becomes a threat to human and animal health.

Land Application of Treated Industrial Wastewater on a Chihuahuan Desert Shrubland: Implications for Water Quality and Mineral Deposition

“…A cheese processor provided an average of 46% of total influent to the WWTP. Thus, N and P additions from cheese whey solids (Ghaly et al, 2007;Wendorff and Matzke, 1993) and alkaline cleaning agents common in dairy processing (Britz et al, 2006) likely made important contributions to effluent TKN, P, and alkalinity ( Table 1). The BOD and COD concentrations (Table 1) were low for cheese processing plants (Britz et al, 2006), which may have resulted from dilution by the other tenants.…”

Bio-adsorption of triadimenol pesticide from aqueous solutions using activated sludge of dairy plants

“…Pesticides are among the major organic compounds that are discharged into the water resources in Middle Eastern countries, which has raised a primary public concern in the recent years [1,2]. These compounds are classified by the Agency of Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), USA as a group in the top priority list of chemicals that need urgent control [3].…”

Whey as a renewable source for lipid production by Rhodococcus strains: Physiology and genomics of lactose and galactose utilization

“…The major component of whey is lactose (5–7%), plus lesser amounts of glucose and galactose, proteins (0.8–1.2%), and lipids (0.06–3%) . Whey final disposal is a central problem for the dairy industry due to their high values ​​of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (50,000 to 70,000 g/L), which generates significant pollution when wastes are freely disposed in the environment , and the high costs of their eventual treatment. The bioconversion of whey to valuable microbial oils is an interesting avenue, which may allow reducing the environmental impact caused by the disposal of this waste in natural environments, and simultaneously generating at low cost, lipids useful for the production of biodiesel, bio‐lubricants, oleochemicals, cosmetics, among other bioproducts.…”

“…The genetics of lactose and galactose utilization in actinobacteria is still incipient, and remains to be elucidated in detail. Previous studies have suggested that a solute binding protein dependent transport system (SBPT) may be responsible for the transport of lactose and galactosides in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) and in Rhodococcus opacus (PD630 and B4) , which is clustered with a probable β‐galactosidase involved in lactose degradation.…”