Cheese whey is a byproduct of the cheese industry that causes high levels of pollution in the environment, but its high lactose content means that it can be used as a source to obtain lactic acid. In this study, two strains, one belonging to a yeast and the other one to a bacteria (Kluyveromyces lactis and Enterococcus faecalis), were isolated from cheese whey and molecularly characterized, and the optimal growth conditions were determined. Then, using proteinized and deproteinized cheese whey, batch fermentation was carried out with the strains arranged in suspension and immobilized. The consumption of lactose and the production of lactic acid were measured through Brix degrees and acidity analysis. Afterwards, the lactic acid was purified, and its yield and physical and chemical characteristics were determined. It was proven that there were differences between each of the strains; arranged in free or encapsulated cells, the proteinized and deproteinized cheese wheys, under the same purification conditions, achieved different yields, colors, and densities of lactic acid. Immobilized Enterococcus faecalis had the highest yield (50.61 ± 34.94 g/L) using the deproteinized cheese whey compared to the immobilized Kluyveromyces lactis (35.70 ± 0.15 g/L) using the proteinized cheese whey.

La falta de energía en zonas rurales es un problema que afecta principalmente a los países en vías de desarrollo. Actualmente se buscan alternativas eficientes y sostenibles que solucionen este problema. La presente investigación evaluó la producción volumétrica y composición de biogás de 12 mezclas de tres tipos de sustratos (estiércol de vaca, cerdo y cuy). Los sustratos fueron caracterizados para conocer su porcentaje de humedad, cenizas, materia orgánica, nitrógeno Kjeldahl, relación C/N y metales totales. Luego se evaluó durante 23 días la producción volumétrica de biogás en cada sistema por triplicado y finalmente se analizó la composición del biogás. Los contenidos de materia orgánica, nitrógeno y relación C/N fueron muy similares a los reportados por varios autores; en los tres sustratos se observó la presencia de metales pesados como cobre y níquel. Solo en el estiércol de vaca de observó plomo. Por otro lado, se halló elementos traza que son beneficiosos para la digestión anaerobia, como el selenio en el estiércol de cuy. El sistema que generó mayor volumen de biogás fue el sistema S3, el cual contenía 25% de estiércol de vaca, 25% de estiércol de cerdo y 50 % de estiércol de cuy. Rindió 33.6 ± 0.42% de metano. La producción volumétrica y porcentaje de metano en el biogás se vio afectada directamente por la presencia de metales que inhiben o ralentizan el desarrollo de microorganismos metanogénicos.

Textile effluents derived from azo-reactive dyeing processes represent a severe problem for aquatic ecosystems and human health. The large amounts of water used in this process and the poor quality of the discharges urge the need to develop treatment systems that involve reusing treated water. In this research, we present the optimization of a feasible, simple, and efficient treatment system that improves the quality of the effluents from the cotton fabric dyeing process. Through the characterization of the influents and effluents, we have identified seven parameters that have allowed the optimization of the treatment. Analytical techniques, such as nephelometry, EDTA, gravimetry, and BOD5, among others, and specialized equipment, such as the spectrophotometer, have been used for these purposes. The results showed that using combustion gases in the neutralization stage and new flocculant-coagulant reagents improved parameters, such as pH, total solids, hardness, and conductivity. The quality of the effluents thus obtained allowed their reuse only in the stages before the dyeing bath without affecting the final quality of the cotton fabrics in dark colors. This effort implies savings in water and supplies, and opens the door to future research on the treatment of textile effluents that help improve the environmental conditions of our region.