From sundae to solvents: Chemists find a way to recycle mountains of industrial ice cream waste
The same proteins that keep a frozen pint smooth also make its fat hard to recover. A research team found an inexpensive way around the problem.
Every year, over 500,000 tons of ice cream waste from factories worldwide ends up in landfills. This massive waste is equivalent to a frozen pile larger than the U.S. Capitol building, complete with sled and toboggan runs. Scientists now propose recycling this waste into renewable bio-diesel, aviation fuel, lubricants, or industrial solvents through a study published in Cleaner Engineering and Technology.
Ice cream's fat content, dispersed in microscopic droplets with milk and egg protein coatings, prevents separation and maintains its smooth texture. However, these protein coatings pose a challenge in extracting and purifying the fats from ice cream waste. Researchers tested two strategies: one using protease enzymes to slice apart the proteins coating fat droplets, and the other adding acids or bases to alter the pH, causing the proteins to fall off the fat droplets.
Both methods showed promise, but the base treatment (raising the pH to 11) proved faster and more effective. It recovered 95% of the fat from samples in just two hours, achieving up to 85% purity without the need for intense heating or purchasing enzymes. The extracted fats could be sold for around $0.40 per gallon, cheaper than other feedstocks used in fuel, solvent, or lubricant production.
While this process won't eliminate the kilos of ice cream fat accumulating around people's waists, it could turn thousands of tons of waste into valuable resources.
Written by urgent.news from Anthropocene Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
