Possible easier lactic acid extractions

[matus]

Lactic acid is hard to extract from fermentation broth (currently the process goes: precipitate calcium lactate, regenerate with sulphuric acid- uses up a lot of chemichals, leaves a lot of waste)- so I am left wondering: why not use membrane electrolysis?

calcium lactate is insoluble in cold water, but reasonably soluble in hot- or in methanol; either way, once a salt is dissolved regenerating the acid out of it ought not to be harder than putting two electrodes in with a semi-permeable membrane between them: calcium would precipitate as Ca(OH)2, which could be reused; in the anode compartment, lactic acid could be harvested and used for bioplastics etc.

the purification step (precipitation of Ca salt) would be preserved, therefore the purity might be as well?