Evaluation of Full Scale Strontium Removal System for Fluid Milk

Abstract

Abstract

Five years of research in the laboratory and pilot plant have culminated in the successful design and operation of a full-scale commercial system for the processing of 100,000 lb of fluid whole milk per 8-hr day during the past year. This plant is fully automated (except For re-use of regenerant), constructed of stainless steel and other approved dairy industry materials meeting sanitary requirements. The process employs the fixed-bed ion-exchange principle based on results from a combined effort of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, at a pilot plant in the Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, and the Sanitary Engineering Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nine test runs of 100,000 lb each have been made and have demonstrated that better than 90 per cent of the strontium can be removed from fluid whole milk without detracting from the flavor, sanitary quality or composition as a result of the treatment. No unusual processing problems were encountered and the process appears to be technically feasible on a large scale for emergency purposes. Presently, the contractor is developing information relative to the economic feasibility for commercial use. If the process is to be considered for routine use, further evaluation and clearances, such as approval by the Food and Drug Administration, of the resin for continued use may be necessary.