To support innovation in milk powder production, our client sought a more efficient method for water removal from skim milk, beyond the limitations of traditional dehydration assets. This project explored the use of membrane technology to enhance processing capacity and optimise existing infrastructure.
The client faced limitations with existing water removal assets used in the dehydration of milk powders. To increase processing flexibility and capacity, they sought to explore membrane technology as an alternative method for removing water from skim milk.
SMS designed, built, and commissioned a three-stage Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant capable of concentrating a portion of the site’s skim milk to 2.2 times its original concentration. This approach leveraged membrane separation to efficiently remove water while preserving product quality.
The RO plant is now fully operational, successfully extracting water (RO permeate) from skim milk. This enables a greater volume of milk powder to be produced using the site's existing evaporator and spray drying equipment, effectively increasing throughput without requiring additional expansion to other site assets.
Get in touch with the SMS team to discuss your application and find out how membrane technology could complement your existing assets.
