Influence of process variables on the production of bovine milk casein by electrodialysis with bipolar membranes

The food and drink industry is one of the largest industrial sectors worldwide. Milk is one of the most important raw materials employed due to both its unique nutritional value and important functional properties. However, the functionality of the various components in milk could be employed more effectively if they were available separately. The aim of this work is the evaluation of the performance of an electro membrane technology, electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM), in the separation of casein from milk. The influence of the main operation variables, i.e., milk concentration (2.5–10 wt.%) and current density (100–400 A m−2), has been analysed. Several process parameters have been recorded while the energy consumption calculations have also been performed in order to compare this membrane technology with the conventional process.Obtained results demonstrate the technical viability of EDBM and the high influence of selected variables in the separation of casein from milk. As a result, high purity casein of 95% purity was achieved by EDBM technology instead of the 85% purity casein obtained by the conventional process. The use of clean technologies, as EDBM, will contribute towards the sustainable development of this sector.