THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE GREEK-STYLE YOGURT MARKET, FROM 1-2% OF THE US YOGURT MARKET IN 2004 TO NEARLY 40% IN 2015, HASCREATED TREMENDOUS VOLUMES OF LACTOSE-RICH ACID WHEY WASTE STREAMS ANNUALLY - A HUGE UNTAPPED GOLDMINE FOR WASTEVALORIZATION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LACTOSE MOLECULES IN THESE WASTE STREAMS CAN BE CONVERTED TO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS SUCH ASGALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES (GOS; PREBIOTIC) AND TAGATOSE (NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS WITH A HIGH RELATIVE SWEETNESS VALUE), VIAENZYMATIC REACTIONS. NEVERTHELESS, THREE ROADBLOCKS KEEP SUCH ENZYME-BASED WASTE VALORIZATION APPROACHES FROM BECOMINGECONOMICALLY VIABLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE: (I) HIGHLY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT OFGREEK-STYLE YOGURT ACID WHEY (PH ~ 4) IMPAIRS ENZYMEACTIVITY AND STABILITY, (II) DIFFICULTY IN RECLAIMING AND REUSING THE ENZYMES, AND (III) AMISMATCH BETWEEN THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE FOR PROCESSING AND ENZYME PERFORMANCE.PREVIOUS RESEARCH INDICATED THAT COVALENT IMMOBILIZATION OF ENZYMES ONTO SOLID SUPPORTS ENHANCES ENZYME PERFORMANCE BY CREATING MORE FAVORABLE LOCAL MICROENVIRONMENTS AND ENABLING REPEATED USE OF THE SAME BATCH OF ENZYMES. HERE, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SCALABLE NANOENGINEERING PLATFORM FOR ORTHOGONALLY CONTROLLING THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENZYME MICROENVIRONMENTS WITH NANOMETRIC PRECISION. WE WILL USE THIS PLATFORM TO (I) GENERATE FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHTS ON HOW SPATIAL NANO-CONFINEMENT AND CHEMICAL MICROENVIRONMENT INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF IMMOBILIZED ENZYMES, AND (II) DESIGN AND FABRICATE HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE ENZYMATIC MEMBRANE REACTORS FOR ACID WHEY VALORIZATION AND BEYOND. BROADLY SPEAKING, THIS PROJECT HOPES TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES AND TECHNICAL KNOW-HOWS FOR STRENGTHENING THE APPLICABILITY OF ENZYMATIC UPCYCLING OF WASTE STREAMS - ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH HARSH CONDITIONS. THE OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT MAY IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GREEK-STYLE YOGURT PRODUCTION AND HELP REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DAIRY FOODWASTESTREAMS, BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATE A NOVEL APPROACH TO LOWERING THE COST OF VARIOUS ENZYME-BASED SOLUTIONS.