Evaluating the fertilization potential of distillery stillage to support Ontario plant and crop production.

乳业酿酒厂（DD）生产世界上第一款由牛奶渗透而成的伏特加，名为Vodkow。除饮用烈酒外，DD从2020年3月开始生产洗手液，并计划扩大到燃料乙醇市场。大多数酒精生产是基于非废弃农业基质的发酵，如谷物、马铃薯淀粉、甜菜、甜菜根和水果中的糖蜜。这些发酵产生的废物具有低pH值（酸性）和高营养水平的特点，并且由于它们可能在下游水生生态系统中造成缺氧死区而成为环境负担。作为在污水处理厂处理的一种替代方法，这些发酵产生的废物已被用作肥料——有或没有预处理。然而，到目前为止，还没有研究评估过牛奶渗透发酵的蒸馏液的潜力。

Dairy Distillery (DD) produces the world's first vodka from milk permeate called Vodkow. In addition to potable spirits, DD has been producing hand sanitizer since March 2020 and plans to expand into the fuel ethanol market. Most alcohol production is based on the fermentation of non-waste agricultural substrates, such as cereals, potato starch, molasses from sugar beet, beetroot, and fruits. The wastes created by these fermentations are characterized by a low pH (acidic) and high levels of nutrients, and are an environmental liability due to their potential to create anoxic dead zones in downstream aquatic ecosystems. As an alternative to being treated in wastewater treatment plants, wastes from these fermentations have been used - with or without pretreatment - as fertilizers. However, no study to date has evaluated the potential of stillage from milk permeate fermentation to be used as such. Milk permeate is a lactose (milk sugar) rich by-product of ultrafiltered milk production. Ethanol made from milk permeate has half the carbon intensity as traditional corn ethanol and 1/6 the CO2 emissions associated with gasoline. Accordingly, the proposed project will assist with making the production of a low carbon intensity biofuel more feasible. The reduction in carbon emissions from a milk permeate biofuel plant would be equivalent to permanently removing 2,500 cars from the road. The goal of this partnership is thus to convert the waste stream into a valuable by-product (i.e., a fertilizer). Doing so would have a significant and positive impact on DD's capital and operating costs, and accelerate their plans to build new larger plants to produce low-carbon ethanol biofuel. In addition to directly supporting DD, expansion of ethanol production from milk permeate to other provinces will reduce costs to farmers of disposing of this waste, lead to job creation and contribute to a greener dairy-based economy. In addition to benefiting Canadians, this project directly addresses 7 of 17 United Nations strategic development goals associated with clean water, energy and environmental sustainability.