Sustainable Utilization of Whey By-Product for the Production of Biobutanol; Barriers to Precision Agriculture Technology Adoption on American Small Farms

The growing demand for renewable energy sources, coupled with the environmental challenges of acid whey disposal from Greek yogurt production, present a unique opportunity for sustainable innovation. The technical report outlines the design of a processing plant that converts acid whey into dry whey protein and biobutanol through continuous operation. The facility consists of ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, spray drying, fermentation, flash separation, depth filtration, and separations. Ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis serve as critical pretreatment steps, concentrating the valuable protein and lactose components prior to downstream processing, while the spray drying system reduces moisture in the protein-rich retentate to produce a shelf-stable, marketable whey powder. During fermentation, Clostridium acetobutylicum cultures metabolize lactose through a two-phase anaerobic pathway: acidogenesis, where acids such as butyric and acetic acid are produced, and solventogenesis, where these acids are converted into acetone, butanol, and ethanol. Conditions within the bioreactors are carefully controlled to favor butanol production, with the system continuously supplemented with a seed train to optimize fermentation rates. Once fermentation is complete, the broth undergoes flash separation to release CO₂ vapors, followed by depth filtration to remove microbial biomass. This is followed by a five-column distillation matrix designed to isolate each solvent product at high purity, ensuring the recovery of market-grade acetone and butanol while minimizing energy consumption and waste. Financial analysis indicates that the plant will break even in five years and remain profitable over its 20-year lifespan, though an overwhelming majority of the profit stems from the dry whey protein rather than biobutanol, contrary to initial expectations. Nonetheless, the results support the construction of such a plant, although further research and process optimization are always of value.
While the design of the substantial biobutanol and whey protein production plant is largely successful, I turn to a small-scale approach to explore the adoption of PAT, a term encompassing a range of data-driven farming technologies, on small farms. The STS research paper evaluates the viability of integrating PAT as a partial solution to the ongoing decline of small farmsteads. I argue that the primary barriers to PAT adoption on small farms, such as deficient funding, limited knowledge and training, and restricted access to resources, are rooted in policy as well as the physical and social infrastructures that shape modern agriculture. Using Dr. Susan Leigh Star’s 1999 paper “The Ethnography of Infrastructure” as a theoretical framework, I define the characteristics that small farms and PAT possess or lack as infrastructures of their own. Through a literature review of historical trends in small-scale farming, agricultural technologies, and challenges specific to PAT implementation, I highlight the lack of research focused on small farms. Then, I analyze research journals and government reports to show how legislation restricts funding accessibility for small farmers navigating complex federal systems. Additionally, I examine the outsized influence of multinational food corporations on small farm viability, the significant training demands required for effective PAT use, and the poor compatibility of these technologies with existing machinery and networks, all of which further hinder PAT adoption. Drawing on Star’s definitions, it becomes clear that the political, social, and environmental needs essential to the success of both PAT and smallholder farming as infrastructures remain unmet. These unresolved infrastructural gaps make PAT a difficult remedy to prescribe without simultaneously encouraging policy reform, improved industry support, and the development of more accessible, adaptable technologies.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Technical Advisor: Eric Anderson

STS Advisor: MC Forelle

Technical Team Members: Sarah Bogdan, Aidan Decker, Andrew Ludwikowski, Carson Min