Thermophilic bioremediation strategies for a dairy waste

Two double-staged strategies for cheese whey bioremediation are described and compared, involving the use of indigenous thermotolerant microorganisms found in whey in the first stage, followed by a second stage employing an added thermophilic mixed population of Bacillus sp., isolated from a fruit-and-vegetable waste. In strategy 1, both stages were operated mesophilically, whereas in strategy 2, the second stage involved thermophilic conditions. Strategy 2 produced greater reductions in COD, lactose, and protein than the solely mesophilic strategy, whilst operating at twice the rate. Reaction schemes for both the stages are proposed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.