In this work, new adsorbent composites from the silica precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and chitosan have been successfully synthesized, denominated 20%Chi, 30%Chi and 40%Chi. The composites presented enhanced chemical and physical characteristics, with emphasis on the high surface areas between 374.94 m²/g to 886.31 m²/g. The application of the composites in the model system (TY - Tartrazine yellow dye), presented adsorption capacities dependent on the amount of chitosan in the composite (40%Chi > 30%Chi > 20%Chi). However, from the experimental data of the constituent materials, 30%Chi provided the greatest increase in the adsorption capacity in the monolayer, with values of 36%. This demonstrates that the amount of chitosan in the compound alters the arrangement of adsorption sites. The 30%Chi composite presented life cycle superior to 10 reuse cycles.

This work proposes an integrated production of whey protein concentrate (WPC) and lactose and the recovery of water from diafiltration (DF) steps. Whey protein and lactose can be concentrated using ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, respectively, and both can be purified using DF. However, DF uses three-fold the initial volume of whey. We propose a method to reclaim this water using reverse osmosis and adsorption by activated carbon. We produced WPC with 88% protein and purified lactose (90%), and 66% of the water can be reclaimed as drinking water. Additionally, the reclaimed water was used to produce another batch of WPC, with no decrease in product quality. Water recovery from the whey process is necessary to meet the needs of a dairy refinery.