Cheese Whey Wastewater Application to Soil: Show Me the "Whey"!.

Cheese whey wastewater (CWW) is a by-product of cheese production that is a mixture of whey and industrial wastewater from the manufacturing plant. Field studies and laboratory incubations were conducted to determine the degradation rate of CWW after its land application in montmorillonitic soils of the Blackland Prairie of Alabama. After land application in field areas with and without historical CWW application, soil CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O flux were measured over time using a static closed chamber technique. Field conditions were simulated in laboratory incubation studies, and soil CO₂ flux determined with NaOH traps, titrating to equivalence.