A €22m EU-funded project led by Glanbia Ireland will see low-value byproducts from the dairy industry be converted into high-value bio-based products.

The project, called AgriChemWhey, will convert excess whey permeate into lactic acid which will be then used to create bio-based products such as biodegradable plastics and bio-based fertilisers.

The project received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI-JU).

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Glanbia Ireland chief executiev Jim Bergin said: “We process over 1bn litres of whey every year and from the manufacture of whey protein we have a side stream which is actually the sugar from the whey process.

“We convert that into lactose, but we also have a surplus of that produce and we have been looking to bring that to value over the last number of years. What we’re doing here is bringing a low-value byproduct and converting it into a high-value finished product or indeed ingredient.

“It’s a big step out for us. It’s the first time in the world that this process has been developed to convert a dairy whey stream into lactic acid,” he said.

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Should the project be successful, Glanbia will build a biorefinery in Lisheen, Co Tipperary, and develop the finished products, Bergin said.