Energy Recovery from Wastes using Anaerobic Treatment Technologies

在这个水资源和能源资源日益减少、全球能源需求飙升的时代，对替代能源的需求持续存在。与此同时，由于工业化，水污染也在迅速增加。这项建议解决了当今最紧迫的两个问题：飙升的能源需求和由于污染而导致的水质恶化。随着废物管理模式向资源回收转变，利用生物处理过程将有机废物转化为氢气和甲烷等绿色能源，为废物问题提供了一种经济、可持续和环境友好的解决方案。这项研究计划的总体长期目标是开发新的经济、产生能量的生物厌氧废物处理工艺。这项研究探索了各种技术，以提高生物精炼有机农业废物、城市固体废物的有机部分(OFMSW)和高强度废物以产生甲烷、氢气，并最终产生电力的效率。特别强调加强废物的生物制氢，并在甲烷生产和固体破坏效率方面提高厌氧消化效率，从而不仅产生能源，而且减少与运输生物固体有关的最终处置成本和温室气体排放。已开发出三项处于不同开发阶段的有前途的技术，该计划旨在进一步推进和应用。这些技术可用于处理大量的农业和工业废物，包括来自生物乙醇厂的稀浆和纤维素废物、猪粪、玉米糖浆废物、酿酒厂废物、啤酒厂废物、垃圾渗滤液、OFMSW和城市污水处理厂侧流，以达到严格的环境标准，并产生绿色能源和减少固体废物处置。还将探索一种创新的发酵工艺，可以提高原料中生物乙醇的产量。因此，这项研究最终可以开发出几种可申请专利的工艺设计，为废物管理问题提供实用、可持续和具有成本效益的解决方案。

In this era of dwindling water and energy resources and soaring global energy demand, the need for alternative energy sources is persistent. Meanwhile water pollution is increasing rapidly due to industrialization. This proposal addresses two of today's most pressing problems:soaring energy demand and deteriorating water quality due to pollution. With the shifting paradigm of waste management towards resource recovery, the conversion of organic wastes to green energy such as hydrogen and methane using biological treatment processes offers an economical, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly solution to waste problems. The overall long-term objective of this research program is to develop novel economical energy-producing biological anaerobic waste treatment processes. The research explores various technologies to improve the effectiveness of biorefining organic agricultural wastes, organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW), and high strength wastes to generate methane, hydrogen, and eventually electricity. Specific emphasis is placed on enhancing biological hydrogen prodcution from wastes as well as improving the anaerobic digestion efficiency in terms of methane production and solids destruction efficiency, thus not only producing energy but also reducing ultimate disposal costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation of biosolids. Three promising technologies at various stages of development have been developed and this program aims at further advancement and application. The technologies can be used to treat a myriad of agricultural and industrial wastes including thin stillage and cellulosic wastes from bioethanol plants, hog manure, corn syrup wastes, winery wastes, brewery wastes, landfill leachates, OFMSW, and municipal wastewater treatment plants side-streams to stringent environmental standards as well as produce green energy and reduce solids disposal. An innovative fermentation process that can improve bioethanol yields from feedstocks will also be explored. Thus, this research can culminate in the development of several patentable process designs that offer practical, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to waste management problems.