Valorización del suero ácido por tecnologías de membranas para recuperar ácido láctico/lactato.

The dairy industry produces a lot of acid whey, which is a very polluting byproduct because it has a lot of organic matter in it. If it is not handled properly, it can cause environmental problems and lose valuable compounds like lactic acid/lactate. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of membrane technologies in the valorization of acid whey for the recovery of lactic acid/lactate and to ascertain the operating conditions and factors that affect the process. A systematic literature review (2020–2025) was performed in Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect utilizing a search equation incorporating “acid whey,” “membranes,” “lactic acid,” and “recovery”; 215 records were retrieved, from which 140 were excluded based on title/abstract, 75 were examined in full text, and 28 were selected according to relevance criteria and methodological quality. The results show that nanofiltration has the best recovery rates (>80% when pressure, temperature, and pH are all set to the right levels). Microfiltration and ultrafiltration, on the other hand, work well as pretreatments to get rid of solids and proteins, which helps prevent fouling and makes the next steps better. Process hybridization, such as UF-NF-electrodialysis, also makes the process more efficient and allows for demineralization and purification. It is concluded that membrane technologies, particularly in hybrid configurations, possess significant potential for the valorization of acid whey at scale, aligned with circular economy principles. However, scalability necessitates the standardization of parameters, control of fouling, and comprehensive techno-economic and environmental analyses.