Electroactivation of Whey in Continuous Mode

The electroactivation of whey in continuous mode in electrolyzers with different configurations has been shown to be an important step in developing a wasteless technology for recovering whey proteins into protein–mineral concentrates. The flow mode of the whey and anode liquid; the electrolyzer configuration; variations in electrical and thermal parameters, pH, and redox potential; and biochemical changes in dry matter and protein composition have been demonstrated to be the key factors in scaling up the process to an industrial level. The specific energy consumption per unit volume of whey during whey processing in an EDC-3 electrolyzer, having a semicylindrical casing, has been found to be considerably lower than that during whey electroactivation in an EDP-2 electrolyzer, having a casing in the shape of a parallelepiped—which is due to the higher capacity of the former electrolyzer and the higher calcium ion concentration—but almost twice that in the case of whey processing in an EDP-5 slot-type electrolyzer. The study of the changes in the above-mentioned parameters during whey electroactivation led to the development of a slot-type electrolyzer with a semicylindrical casing for whey processing in continuous mode.