SBIR Phase I: Development of Low Cost Enzymatic Biodiesel Production from Wastewater

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在创建一种自动化、低成本、低能源的系统，以从废水中生产生物柴油。目前，水净化是一种能源密集型过程，对许多行业提出了很高的金钱和环境要求。这一拟议的科学发展将创造一个革命性的过程，在一个内部驱动的单一系统中既净化水又生产生物能源。由于安全和易于操作，可以在任何地方使用该过程来快速消除危险污染物，同时创建清洁能源。即将开发的工艺将使用蓝藻(蓝藻)生产维生素B12，以推动使用废水的简化酶法生物柴油生产系统。在一个自动化系统中，废水将无缝地转化为清洁水和生物柴油，使包括饮料、食品和生物燃料行业在内的重水用户成为清洁水和清洁能源生产商。废水清理将成为一项节能、可持续的活动，为最终用户创造经济价值。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是降低用于清洁和供水的能源成本。大量的能源被用来清洁和供应水。加州使用19%的电力、30%的天然气和880亿加仑的柴油来供应清洁水和管理废水。许多行业，特别是食品制备、纺织和生物燃料，严重依赖清洁水。在它们的过程中，它们会产生大量受污染的水，必须以高昂的成本进行净化，才能将其返回环境。例如，一个中等规模的酿酒厂每年将产生超过8000万加仑的废水，而葡萄酒厂每加仑葡萄酒产生超过9加仑的废水。随着清洁水需求的增加，能源需求也将增加。这项拟议的技术将降低清洁废水的成本，同时创造出清洁燃料。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to create an automated low-cost, low-energy system to produce biodiesel from wastewater. Water cleaning is currently an energy intensive process that places high monetary and environmental demands on many industries. This proposed scientific development will create a revolutionary process that both cleans water and produces bioenergy in a single, internally driven system. Due to the safety and ease of operation, it will be possible to use this process anywhere to rapidly eliminate dangerous contaminants while creating clean energy. The process to be developed will use cyanobacteria's (blue-green algae) vitamin B12 production to drive a simplified enzymatic biodiesel production system using wastewater. Combined in an automated system, wastewater will be seamlessly converted into clean water and biodiesel allowing heavy water users, including beverage, food, and biofuel industries, to become clean water and clean energy producers. Wastewater cleaning will become an energy efficient, sustainable activity that creates financial value for the end-user.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to reduce the cost of energy used to clean and supply water. Large quantities of energy are used to clean and supply water. California uses 19% of its electricity, 30% of its natural gas and 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel to supply clean water and manage wastewater. Many industries, especially food preparation, textile, and biofuel, are heavily dependent on clean water. During their processes, they create large quantities of contaminated water that must be cleaned at great cost before it can be returned to the environment. For example, a single moderate-sized brewer will produce over 80 million gallons of wastewater each year and wineries produce over 9 gallons of wastewater for every gallon of wine. As the demand for clean water increases, energy demands also will increase. The proposed technology will lower the cost to clean wastewater while creating clean fuel.