Plant layout for whey fractionation

Project Description
Design, construction, and commissioning of an advanced industrial plant dedicated to whey processing and fractionation. The facility is designed to capture liquid whey derived from cheese production and transform it—using physical and thermal separation processes—into high-value-added ingredients such as protein concentrates, isolates, and purified lactose, thereby maximizing raw material yield.
Industrial Sector
Industrial (Chemical, Process) and Food.
Technological Challenge

The main technical challenge was integrating a membrane filtration system with varying pore sizes (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration) coupled with highly energy-efficient evaporation and spray-drying equipment. A process architecture had to be designed to minimize protein denaturation, ensure absolute hygiene through automated cleaning (CIP) systems, and optimize water and energy consumption across all separation stages.

Development

Our company’s work has focused entirely on the engineering, design, and initial project definition phase. This development has included drafting the technical report, preparing room layout drawings (for pasteurization, resin filters, steam boilers, and refrigerated areas), and defining process flow diagrams (P&IDs) and technical specifications for the subsequent selection of equipment and execution of the work.

Result
The new plant has achieved full operational capacity while meeting the strictest quality and food safety standards. Thanks to this facility, whey utilization has been fully optimized, drastically reducing environmental impact and transforming a traditional waste product into a highly profitable line of products with high commercial value.