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Waste Management and Energy Opportunities (EDITED). Steve Cox Anaerobe Systems 3/09/2007. Anaerobe Systems. Founded in 1975 Microbiology supply company Primarily deal with anaerobic bacteria Make culture media for growing anaerobes Petri plates Test tubes Research. Hydrogen Production.
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Waste Management and Energy Opportunities(EDITED) Steve Cox Anaerobe Systems 3/09/2007
Anaerobe Systems • Founded in 1975 • Microbiology supply company • Primarily deal with anaerobic bacteria • Make culture media for growing anaerobes • Petri plates • Test tubes • Research
Hydrogen Production • Hydrogen can be produced through fermentation • Bacteria use sugar for energy, but throw away the hydrogen • Basic process:1 C6H12O6 + 6 H2O -> 12 H2 + 6 CO2
Control the Process • Currently, wastewater is filtered and treated in ponds • Transform the ponds into monitored and controlled environments • Combine engineering with microbiology
Organism Selection • Millions of microbes that will break down organic matter • Byproducts of one are food for another • Choose an organism based on your food and what you want produced
Production • Strictly under anaerobic conditions • Control pH, temperature, and nutrients • Collect, process, and store gasses (CO2, H2, others) • Process our own waste (yes, processing food waste gives us even more waste!)
Our Process • Determine the best microorganism to use based on the food waste • Filter large solids from the waste stream • Supplement the waste stream with essential nutrients
Process, cont. • Sterilize and inoculate • Control and monitor fermentation • Collect gasses • Process waste
What About Our Waste? • Hydrogen • Carbon Dioxide • Organic Acids • Dead Bacteria • Unused nutrient
Hydrogen • Used on-site, not stored • Consumed in a combustion engine, turbine, or fuel cell • Electricity supplied to the the processing plant • Waste heat used to sterilize initial waste stream or to heat fermentors
Using the Hydrogen • 1,300 gallon fermentor run continuously can yield about 5 kW of power per day • Consumes about 7,000 gallons of feed stock per day • Pepper Plant: 100,000 gallons per day 70 kW of power per day
Carbon Dioxide • Can be used in refrigeration system to freeze peppers • Can be separate, stored, and sold Dry Ice Compressed CO2
Organic Acids • Acetic acid is main waste product • Distilled out from waste water • Used to make plastic, as a food additive, and as vinegar • Market price is $5/gallon ($215 per barrel) • U.S. Demand is 1.5 billion gallons
Other Leftovers • Distilled Water – reused in the process or sold • Solid Waste – reused in the process as food source or tilled into fields