Scientists develop method to recycle ice cream waste into industrial products

Researchers at Penn State University have developed a method to recover approximately 95% of fats from industrial ice cream waste using centrifugation. This process could transform the more than 500,000 tons of ice cream discarded annually at factories worldwide into raw materials for fuels, lubricants, and other industrial products.

According to the International Dairy Federation, nearly 5% of raw materials used for ice cream production in the United States end up as waste. This waste stems from products that fail quality standards, equipment cleaning, and production residues. The study, published in the journal Cleaner Engineering and Technology, suggests that utilizing these leftovers could be economically viable while reducing environmental impact.

To test the recycling potential, scientists collaborated with the American company Perry's Ice Cream, which provided frozen waste from four different production batches for experimentation.