EAGER: A Novel Bioprocess for the Valorization of Waste and Biomass

1600075马修斯向可持续社会过渡需要废物管理的范式转变。高浓度有机废物的处理和处置涉及高资本和操作成本支出。该项目的重点是利用一种新型的低pH微生物发酵工艺将生物质废物转化为有用的化学品，该工艺可有效提取产品。提取的产品将提供低成本的可生物降解的除冰剂，用于道路，高速公路和机场的冰雪控制。这些好处包括避免废物处理成本，产生增值产品，以及消除目前使用的氯化物除冰剂对水和土壤的污染。目前，大量的能源和资源被花费在废物的好氧和厌氧处理上。目前从有机废物中大规模生产的唯一化学品是甲烷气体，这是一种供应过剩的低价值商品化学品。它是通过厌氧过程产生的，操作成本高且复杂。该项目旨在开发一种两阶段发酵工艺，将生物质废物转化为醋酸钙镁和丙二醇。EAGER项目将开发微生物生长动力学数据和连续固定化细胞发酵数据，用于在产品提取最有效的低pH值下将乳酸转化为乙酸。新型多孔载体将用于细胞固定化。将在低pH值下进行浸提研究，以进行乙酸浸提。该项目将开发低pH生物转化领域的新知识，推进固定化细胞发酵领域的知识，并推进低pH值下发酵液酸提取领域的知识。这个项目是变革性的，因为它可以引发对许多不同的有机废物和生物质的有用产品价值的研究。该项目将产生重大的社会、经济和环境影响。拟议的项目将能够产生高价值的化学品，为社会提供经济效益。与处理需氧废物相关的资本和运营成本将被消除。此外，所生产的可生物降解的除冰剂将取代目前用于道路和机场跑道除冰的不可生物降解的除冰剂，如氯化钠和氯化钙。大规模使用无机盐对道路和高速公路进行除冰已造成地表沃茨、地下沃茨和土壤的钠和氯化物污染。使用可生物降解的除冰剂，可创造更清洁的环境和健康的生态系统，社会将受益于与此相关的健康和美学优势。此外，这些新的除冰产品将防止与汽车腐蚀相关的成本以及与修复因应用常规除冰氯化物盐而损坏的建筑物和民用基础设施相关的成本。

1600075MathewsThe move to transition to a sustainable society will require a paradigm shift in waste management. The treatment and disposal of high-strength organic wastes involves high capital and operating cost expenditures. This project focuses on the valorization of biomass wastes to useful chemicals using a novel low pH microbial fermentation process that affords efficient extraction of the products. The extracted products will provide low-cost biodegradable deicers for applications on roads, highways, and airports for snow and ice control. This benefits include avoidance of waste treatment costs, the generation of value-added products, and the elimination of water and soil pollution from currently used chloride deicers.Considerable amount of energy and resources are expended in aerobic and anaerobic treatment of wastes at present. The only chemical that is currently produced at large scale from organic wastes is methane gas, a low-value commodity chemical that is in excess supply. It is produced by anaerobic process that is costly and complex to operate. This project is aimed at developing a two-stage fermentation process for the conversion of biomass wastes to calcium magnesium acetate and propylene glycol. The EAGER project will develop microbial growth kinetics data and continuous immobilized cell fermentation data for the conversion lactic acid to acetic acid at low pH values where product extraction is most efficient. Novel porous supports will be used for cell immobilization. Extraction studies will be conducted at low pH values for acetic acid extraction. This project will develop new knowledge in the area of low pH bioconversion, advance knowledge in the area of immobilized cell fermentation, and advance knowledge in the area of acid extraction from fermentation liquor at low pH values. This project is transformative as it can engender research into the valorization of many different organic wastes and biomass to useful products. This project will have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts. The proposed project will enable the generation of high-value chemicals that will provide economic benefits to society. The capital and operating costs associated with the treatment of oxygen-demanding wastes will be eliminated. Moreover, the biodegradable deicers that are produced will replace non-biodegradable deicers such as sodium and calcium chlorides that are currently used for road and airport runway deicing. Large-scale application of inorganic salts to deice roads and highways has caused sodium and chloride contamination of surface waters, ground waters, and soils. Society will benefit from the health and aesthetic advantages associated with a cleaner environment and a healthy ecosystem from the use of biodegradable deicers. In addition, these new deicer products will prevent costs associated with automobile corrosion and costs related to rehabilitation of buildings and civil infrastructure that are damaged by application of conventional deicing chloride salts.