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.