Whey protein concentrate (WPC) production: Environmental impact assessment

Transportation of the whey was one of the main hotspots in the life cycle assessment performed (28-70%); electricity use accounted for 18-20% of the impact. The alternative scenario, that involves the pre-concentration of whey, obtained a reduction of the impacts from 0.9% to 14.3%. The pre-concentration of whey in a pretreatment plant closer to the cheese factory reduces the environmental burden of the whole process. This occurs even if the energy consumption for pre-concentration increases due to the use of smaller and less efficient devices.