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How to profit from whey demineralization

How to profit from whey demineralization

Demineralize and concentrate whey using electrodialysis with our RALEX® membranes

Did you know...

You can demineralize WPC and WPI by MEGA electrodialysis.

Electrodialysis in Dairy: Unlocking New Potentials for Byproduct Utilization

Prof. Jiří Wanner o budoucnosti recyklace odpadních vod podle nařízení EU 2020/741

Make profit from reusing of already processed whey and find out why demineralize whey by-products by MEGA electrodialysis.

Watch this short video and discover the potential of dairy byproduct streams with advanced demineralization techniques. We introduce five crucial considerations before investing in electrodialysis technology, including improvements in sensoric properties and thermostability.

For more details about the benefits of demineralizing dairy by-products visit Widen your product portfolio with electrodialysis.






Custom solution based on in-house RALEX® membranes, stacks, and units.

100+ running references with more than 6.900 tons of concentrated whey processed every day. Ask for the full reference list.

Regional offices and service partners around the world ensure tailored care for different customers.

Successful implementations of electrodialysis in dairy by MEGA

Successful implementations of electrodialysis in dairy by MEGA

Arla Foods, Denmark

D90 demineralization degree
High-quality whey-based ingredient product
R&D Cooperation

The Danish company Arla Foods has implemented several demineralization units into its manufacturing process. Thanks to the extensive cooperation of MEGA technologists with Arla’s Food Process Engineers and R&D managers, we were able to deliver turnkey solutions with maximal optimization of the manufacturing process. Arla has been able to obtain a high-quality whey-based ingredient product with a 90% mineral removal.

For more successful applications, please, ask for the full reference list.

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Dairy demineralization by MEGA

Demineralization in Dairy Industry by Electrodialysis

Demineralization in Dairy Industry by Electrodialysis

Join our webinar about the benefits of using the electrodialysis process in the dairy industry hosted by Michal Jirdasek. Find out how to increase the thermostability of WPC and WPI, about the benefits of RALEX® electrodialysis membranes, what is the batch system, the reversation of electrodialysis, etc.

Watch the webinar recording on our MEGA YouTube channel.

Gain maximum out of your raw ingredients

Gain maximum out of your raw ingredients

We address all whey and other milk by-products issues. As a result, you save money on waste disposal and profit from selling processed whey or reusing it internally.

Demineralized whey can be used in infant formula, nurse nutrition, sports nutrition, ice cream, and yogurts or as animal feed. Process all types of cow, buffalo, or goat dairy by-products.

Find out more about whey processing
Turn waste into highly profitable dairy products with MEGA electrodialysis

Turn waste into highly profitable dairy products with MEGA electrodialysis

Dairy by-products often contain dissolved salts and other contaminants. MEGA advanced electrodialysis helps desalinate dairy by-products and turn them into high-quality protein products such as:

  • Sweet and acid whey
  • UF permeate
  • Delactosed whey
  • Skimmed milk
  • Mother liquor
  • Whey protein concentrates and isolate

Find out more about UF permeate demineralization
Explore what to do with whey from yogurt, curd, or quark

Explore what to do with whey from yogurt, curd, or quark

With increasing customer demand for dairy products such as yogurt, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and cottage cheese, dairies, and cheese factories are facing the growing problem of what to do with the acid whey that is still considered an unfortunate by-product of dairy production.

MEGA has developed a technology based on the electrodialysis process which is transforming acid whey into a new high-profit product.

MEGA's technology offers new opportunities for dairy companies to use acid whey to maximize their production, increase profits and significantly reduce waste.

Find out more about Acid whey purification
Innovated technology for thermostable whey protein concentrate and isolate (WPC & WPI)

Innovative technology for thermostability of whey protein concentrate and isolate (WPC & WPI)

MEGA offers an innovative ED technology that reduces the denaturation and aggregation of whey proteins during heating and enables the production of heat-stable whey protein products.

Using MEGA's technology, whey protein concentrates and isolates (WPC, WPI) exhibit significantly increased thermostability, thereby reducing protein loss at the surface of heat exchangers due to fouling, extending the time between CIP of heat exchange equipment, and reducing the amount of chemicals per wash and thus the amount of wastewater. All of this results in a significant reduction in operating costs.

Find out more about Whey protein heat stability by MEGA ED
MEGA Electrodialysis Application Overview

Electrodialysis application overview

Electrodialysis can be incorporated into different processes in the dairy industry. Download the Application overview and get in touch with our sales managers to enhance your processes.

Organic whey powder purification

Organic whey powder purification

MEGA offers new technology, which can fully meet the organic product requirements and at the same time successfully remove the ash content from the feed solution and due to this fact decrease the amount of salt in the final product.

Find out more about organic whey purification
Electrodialysis explained

Electrodialysis units RALEX® by MEGA

Electrodialysis is an electric field gradient-driven process enabling the separation of mineral matters from feed solutions. It moves dissociated ions through ion-permselective membranes and forms two different flows - desalinated flow called diluate and a concentrated flow called concentrate. Our RALEX® electrodialysis units provide a wide range of demineralization options and easy maintenance.

  • Flexible Technology for D50, D70, D90
  • CIP without steam or enzymes
  • Certified Quality

Go to electrodialysis applications
Lab & pilot testing

Lab & pilot testing

Verify the separation process with your feed samples. Testing can be done on a small scale in the Membrane Innovation Centre or on-site using our pilot units.

What we do

Products

Sweet whey is a by-product of hard and semi-hard cheese production. It naturally contains a significant number of minerals and organic anions (acids). All minerals together represent ash content which is approximately 8.0-8.5% ODB considered typical for natural sweet whey with total solids of 5.5-6.5% (TS). Demineralization by MEGA electrodialysis enables to decrease the ash and acids content to obtain a product with a much better taste and the possibility of further use.

MEGA electrodialysis units can process natural whey or whey concentrated up to 22% TS - 18 - 22% TS by evaporation (EV) or pressure membrane processes as reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF). This is preferred due to the higher conductivity of the feed after the concentration and the optimal efficiency of MEGA ED units. Thanks to the concentration and higher conductivity of the feed MEGA electrodialysis units can achieve high demineralization rates like D90 (1% Ash ODB) without using ion exchange.

Continue to whey protein powder       Contact us for a similar solution
Continue to whey protein powder       Contact us for a similar solution

Acid whey is a by-product of greek yogurt, soft cheese, or quark production. Due to the highly acidic properties with pH ranging from 4.7–5.3 caused by a high number of organic ions (lactate and citrate) and a large mineral content of approximately 9–11% ODB, considered typical for natural acid whey, with total solids 5.5-6.5% (TS) make it difficult for further processing. It can’t be evaporated without using special techniques with high operational costs and due to very low sensory attributes, it can’t be reused internally either.

Electrodialysis is an elegant solution for all these issues. It goes hand in hand with the removal of minerals and especially of organic ions (acids). MEGA electrodialysis units can achieve pH values according to the customer’s needs by removing the organic ions (acids) and integrating pH correction. The results of the demineralization process of acid whey make the final product suitable for food grade products.

MEGA electrodialysis units can process natural acid whey or whey concentrated up to 22% TS - 18 - 22% TS by reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF), which is preferred due to the partial removal of monovalent ions and organic ions. Thanks to the higher conductivity of the feed after the concentration, MEGA ED units can work at the maximum efficiency to achieve high demineralization rates like D90 (1% Ash ODB) without using ion exchange even for acid whey.

Continue to acid whey purification       Contact us for a similar solution
Continue to acid whey purification       Contact us for a similar solution

After ultrafiltration of whey, up to 95% of the solution is rejected as permeate despite its high lactose content. The reason for rejection is a very high mineral content from 9% up to 12 % ODB and high acidity after the whey is filtrated.

By processing of the UF permeate with electrodialysis you can produce edible food-grade lactose for further use in confectionery, bakery or animal feed. That means that you can expand your product portfolio and increase your revenue by utilizing a by-product of cheese production.

The electrodialysis process also minimizes the evaporator and spray dryer scaling issues of an untreated UF permeate. And in that way partially prevents costs connected with the after-treatment maintenance which makes it a very effective solution for multiple parts of your production process and provides you with cost-effective advantages.

Continue to UF permeate demineralization       Contact us for a similar solution
Continue to UF permeate demineralization       Contact us for a similar solution

Delactosed whey (DLW) or Mother Liquor (ML) is produced from concentrated whey which has been partly delactosed by crystallization. It is a saturated lactose solution (45-50% ODB) with a content of protein (26-33% ODB), organic acids, and mineral substances (10-12% ODB), the total amount of dry matter is 40%. Due to a high volume of salts and acids, DLW/ML can’t be further reused as animal feed.

The electrodialysis is an effective solution for reducing the salts and acids concentration after the original content of dry matter is diluted down to 18-22% in order to assure better hydrodynamic conditions of the electrodialysis process. The demineralized product can be reused in lactose production in order to increase the volume of the product. It means that it can be used either directly in liquid or spray dried.

Contact us for similar a solution
Contact us for similar a solution

Products & Technologies

Nanofiltration unit by MEGA

Nanofiltration unit by MEGA

Our new unit has a number of advantages, the main one being low power consumption due to improved hydraulics. Compact design and complete factory assembly simplifies on-site installation. An integrated CIP system with microcontroller management allows you to select the optimal sanitization program, considering the characteristics of the membranes used, the processed raw materials, and the used CIP chemicals.

Low capacity ED units RALEX® EWDU Series P

Low capacity ED units RALEX® EWDU Series P

  • Electrodialysis low-capacity unit for demineralization of various types of whey and for other dairy applications.
  • Compact autonomous processing unit with a control system for operating and controlling of process parameters.
  • Capacity modification with one or two electrodialysis stacks EDR-II.
  • Operating in batch mode.
  • Capacity is designed upon the customer’s request.
  • Achievable rate of demineralization is 50%, 70% and 90%.
MEGA electrodialysis reversal stacks EDR-II unit dimensions
One-stack unit Two-stack unit
Dimensions (L×W×H m) 4.8×1.2×2.5 6.7×1.2×2.5

MEGA newest RALEX® EWDU unit

RALEX® EWDU 10xEDR-20/200

The new generation unit EWDU 10xEDR-20/200 combines all the experience and the best parameters from the previous types of electrodialysis units which have been operated as highly reliable demineralization technology around the globe for almost 30 years. MEGA has designed the new ED unit as compact as possible keeping good spatial requirements and maintenance conditions. Our modular system is brought to perfection by extending the unit from 4 up to 10 stacks. The unit offers tens of percent higher performance and OPEX of the demineralization process is significantly lower compared to the units being used so far. The achievable rate of demineralization is 50%, 70% and 90%.

MEGA industrial autonomous electrodialysis processing unit dimensions
Ten-stack unit
Dimensions (L×W×H m) 8.1×6.0×4.0
Why choose MEGA whey demineralization EDR technology

Why choose MEGA whey demineralization EDR technology

  • The achievable rate of demineralization varies from 40 % to 90+ %
  • Customized design
  • Low processing temperature
  • Reversible operation mode
  • Long lifetime of membranes
  • Reliability
Ask our experts for help with your project

Our case studies

Dolomites Milk - Demineralization of sweet whey for nutrition formulas

Dolomites Milk, Italy

Demineralization of sweet whey for nutrition formulas

MEGA was approached by Dolomites Milk to help solve the challenge of processing large volumes of sweet whey of varying compositions from local farmers.

MEGA developed a tailor-made technology solution while maintaining the client's requirement for future expandability and flexibility in the design of the industrial unit.

Dolomites Milk has expanded its unit to full size in a very short time and is now producing demineralized whey at various desalination levels of DWP 40, DWP 50, DWP 70, and DWP 90. The company is selling its products from non-GMO ingredients to producers of nutrition formulas such as infant formula and sports nutrition, and bakery, chocolate, pastry products manufacturing, etc.

Dolomites Milk highlights

Large daily volumes Expanding production capacity Variable desalination levels
View case study Dolomites Milk
View case study Dolomites Milk
MEGA Electrodialysis EWDU 8xEDR-II/250 Galacteum

Galacteum, Spain

NF cheese sweet whey demineralization

The Spanish company Galacteum, as one of the dairy industry-leading companies, was looking to expand its already broad product portfolio to obtain the highly valuable products from NF cheese sweet whey.

After extensive cooperation with MEGA’s technologists, Galacteum purchased an electrodialysis unit, a high-tech solution for the demineralization of whey-based dairy by-products. The EWDU 8xEDR-II/250 unit enables it to process 50 to 100 t/day of sweet NF whey from cheese production with different degrees of desalination up to D90+.

Galacteum opted for electrodialysis due to its highly efficient separation and cleaning with low operating costs. Thanks to the flawless daily operation of the MEGA unit, the company does not have to deal significantly with annual operating costs (OPEX).

Galacteum highlights

Low OPEX NF sweet whey Variable demineralization levels
View case study Galacteum
View case study Galacteum
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Milkavita, Belarus

Large scale whey demineralization and drying

This project allows to internal reuse of dairy by-products in the food industry and makes milk processing a waste-free production. The new production site is so effective, that it processes not only its own whey but also whey from other factories in the surrounding regions in Belarus. The whey is processed into two main outputs. Demineralized whey powder for the food industry and high-quality demineralized whey fat concentrate for livestock feeding. The MEGA technology is universal and can be set to produce LD50, SD70, or SD90.

The Demineralized whey powder is requested in Russia, China, India, and South-East Asia, which gives Milkavita new export opportunities.

Milkavita highlights

All types of whey 500 tons per day New export
Ask about this project
Ask about this project

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MEGA Care saves your money.
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Remote technology diagnostics
Periodical post-warranty checks

MEGA Care reduces downtimes to the necessary technological minimum by active monitoring, prevention, and remote adjustments in advance. Periodical inspections at the point of installation provide three days of exhaustive evaluation during regular production, membrane samples are sent to MEGA laboratory for testing to show early signs of scaling or fouling. Inspections to gather hands-on data together with overall parameters monitoring bring necessary information to ensure reliable performance.

More about MEGA Care

MEGA Care reduces downtimes to the necessary technological minimum by active monitoring, prevention, and remote adjustments in advance. Periodical inspections at the point of installation provide three days of exhaustive evaluation during regular production, membrane samples are sent to MEGA laboratory for testing to show early signs of scaling or fouling. Inspections to gather hands-on data together with overall parameters monitoring bring necessary information to ensure reliable performance.

More about MEGA Care

Interested? Contact us.

Michal Jirdasek

Michal Jirdasek

Key Account Manager

+420 606 387 947 michal.jirdasek@mega.cz
Ales Platzer

Ales Platzer

Sales Manager

+420 702 176 317 ales.platzer@mega.cz
Tereza Hudakova

Tereza Hudakova

Sales Manager

+420 771 122 363 tereza.hudakova@mega.cz