When discussing pollutants in the context of public policy, acid whey is rarely mentioned compared to more familiar compounds that are harmful to the environment. Yet, this common byproduct of dairy production is regarded by professionals in the field as one of the most toxic effluents, one that is particularly challenging to dispose of.
Consider the scale: the EU dairy sector processes over 155 million tonnes of milk every year, primarily from countries such as Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Ireland. Approximately 80 to 90% of the processed volume becomes either ‘sweet whey’, from enzyme-coagulated cheese, or ‘acid whey’, from fresh cheese, yogurt, quark, and casein production.
Acid whey ends up being the real problem child of this industry, especially due to its high biological oxygen demand, 175 times higher than that of typical municipal sewage effluent. In short, if acid whey is discharged into a body of water — as sometimes happened in the past, when disposal costs were high — it can be ecologically destructive. As microbes break it down, they consume vast amounts of oxygen, leaving aquatic life to suffocate.
Now, with EU institutions pushing for new regulatory requirements, as well as a growing public demand for sustainable food production, dairies can no longer afford to treat acid whey as disposable waste. This, in turn, makes research into resource recovery solutions more valuable than ever for the sector.
A case in point is 3R-BioPhosphate Ltd., a formerly Swedish company now based in Hungary, which is pioneering pyrolysis engineering. This particular field centres on the design of systems that integrate thermal and biotechnological methods for breaking down organic matter.
Edward Someus, inventor of the 3R technology and CEO of the company, sat with us to explain the state-of-the-art aspects of this innovation — and the challenges that lie ahead.
How important is the dairy industry for Europe?
Well, let's say this: the EU itself is currently the world’s leading milk producer and exporter. The dairy sector in particular is also one of Europe’s most important agricultural and food industries. It generates €55 billion annually, and supports around 650,000 farms across the continent. It sustains rural communities, safeguards food security through high-quality nutrition, and embodies centuries of European cultural heritage. So, its value exceeds the simple economic worth, in a way.
Yet, the pressure to reduce the environmental impact of dairy byproducts is also higher than ever today.
Yes, the pressure is clearly increasing. Over the last three decades, EU legislation has steadily escalated requirements for nutrient management, wastewater treatment, and circularity. And for dairies, this means that acid whey can no longer be treated as a disposable byproduct. However, the difference compared to the past is that there's now also a financial incentive to adopt innovative recovery solutions. Before, that road was mostly not very cost-effective.
And what’s 3R-BioPhosphate Ltd.'s role in this industry?
We’ve been pioneering ways to turn leftover biomass from the dairy and food industries into higher-value products. It’s a process known as upcycling.

3R agri biotech processing and formulation unit
How did 3R-BioPhosphate Ltd. become involved in WALNUT? Does the company already have experience with similar projects?
Well, the company definitely has a proven track record of delivering innovative circular economy solutions, especially in making agricultural and food industry by-products into phosphate-rich fertilisers, clean water, and biostimulants. And before WalNUT, we also successfully participated in several European Union-funded projects, like Refertil, Nutriman, and PROTECTOR, just to name a few. They all focused on the upcycling of unexploited by-products with a similar aim. So, the involvement in the WalNUT project really was a natural next step.
Could you walk us through the process developed by 3R?
We have devised a three-stage process that combines liquid fermentation, solid-state fermentation, and adsorption. The result is both clean water and a phosphate-rich biofertilizer. Let’s start with liquid fermentation. We use acidic whey as a substrate and inoculate it with carefully selected fungal microbial strains. This stage removes toxic organic compounds, lowers oxygen demand, and produces a concentrated microbial biomass.
From there, we move into solid-state fermentation, where the microbial biomass is combined with high-temperature processed animal bone char, a porous material rich in calcium and phosphorus. At this stage, we have already created a nutrient-rich plant biofertilizer that will be introduced into the farm market.
Then there's the final step: adsorption. The liquid effluent left after fermentation is treated again with animal bone char, which captures the remaining nutrients and contaminants. What you get at the end is clean water that meets discharge standards.

3R pyrolysis prototype in regional production scale
Would you consider this process state-of-the-art in terms of preventing pollution from organic compounds and enabling reuse?
I would say so, yes. First of all, because it’s a true circular economy model: the byproducts themselves become raw materials for the process. It addresses pollution, generates economic value, and supports sustainable agriculture. Better yet, it allows smaller dairy producers to dispose of their byproducts economically, which historically was the real issue for them.
Why was the facility in Kajászó, Hungary, chosen for this pilot? What made it ideal for WalNUT?
The 3R-Biofarm Upcycling Centre in Kajászó was chosen mainly due to its advanced infrastructure. It includes a 30-hectare agri-industrial site with high-temperature pyrolysis, biotech facilities, and laboratories. In short, it had all that was required by the project: nutrient recovery, biomass valorisation, and water treatment. That being said, a future scaling of these processes for a complete industrial deployment will require an investment in larger modular units, as well as new testing in different industrial settings and with regulatory certifications. This is just the first step.
Could Hungary play a role in scaling this technology across Europe?
Sure, in the sense that Hungary offers a strong demonstration platform for the 3R technology at a lower cost. But the country has a relatively small domestic market. The primary expansion potential lies in larger dairy markets, such as Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the USA, Australia, and Japan. So, Hungary can act as an innovation hub and industrial training location for this industry, rather than a large-scale producer in a strict sense.
What excites you most about the work you’re doing here?
Certainly, the fact that we are transforming an environmental challenge into a sustainable solution that benefits European business. But what makes it even more rewarding for me is that we’re doing it through a circular economy approach.


Photos credits:
Cover: Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay
Others: by @3R-BioPhosphate

Contacts:
Project coordinator:
Francisco Corona Encinas, PhD FUNDACIÓN CARTIF - fraenc@cartif.es
Communication Manager:
Francesco Agresta, ICONS - info@walnutproject.eu

Project website: https://walnutproject.eu/
LinkedIn: WALNUT
X: @walnut_project