I-Corps: Customer Discovery for Waste Valorization Technology

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是大幅减少垃圾填埋场、工业和交通运输的温室气体(GHG)排放，同时提供零排放燃料，共同为更可持续的闭环经济做出贡献。燃料电池技术是一种有潜力改变运输行业的解决方案，它像电动汽车一样尾气排放为零，但里程类似于汽油和柴油。此外，固定式燃料电池可以提供零排放电源。开发一种可行的系统，以模块化、分散化的方式将有机废物转化为可再生氢气，可以改变氢气供应和燃料电池市场的范式，同时解决围绕食物垃圾和化石燃料排放的其他社会问题。这个i-Corps项目建议开发一种模块化的微生物电解堆叠系统，能够从食物垃圾中连续高速生产氢气。这项创新是基于产生电子或电力的细菌，这种细菌从有机废物中产生电流，并开发了一种设备，使Electro-Active能够从这些电流中快速产生氢气。它结合了优化的反应器设计和操作，以维持通常只有在纯基质中才能看到的生产率。为了证明这项技术的概念验证，目标生产率和价格点必须在更大的反应堆机组中进行更长时间的论证。持续的性能需要原料的高速率生物催化转化，以及高速率的质子传输到阴极。为了克服这些挑战，已经创建了一种获得专利的微生物浓缩工艺，以发展一个强大的微生物群落，能够以高速率和高效率将复杂的废物转化为电子。此外，具有强大的生物催化剂、新颖的反应器设计和操作的初步数据提供了证据，证明综合方法可以克服这些限制。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to substantially reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions from landfills, industry, and transportation, while providing a zero-emission fuel to collectively contribute towards a more sustainable, closed-loop economy. Fuel cell technologies are a solution that has the potential to transform transportation industry with zero tailpipe emissions like electric cars, but with mileage range similar to gasoline and diesel fuel. Additionally, stationary fuel cells can provide a zero emission electricity source. Developing a viable system to convert organic waste into renewable hydrogen in a modular, decentralized fashion can be a paradigm changer for hydrogen supply and the fuel cell market while solving additional societal issues surrounding food waste and fossil fuel emissions. This I-Corps project proposes to develop a modular microbial electrolysis stack system capable of continuous high-rate hydrogen production from food waste. The innovation is based on electron or electricity producing bacteria, which generate current from organic waste and a device that Electro-Active has developed to enable high-rate hydrogen production from that current. It incorporates optimized reactor design and operation to sustain productivities typically seen only with pure substrates. To demonstrate proof-of-concept for this technology, target productivities and price point must be demonstrated in a larger reactor unit over a longer period of time. Sustained performance requires high-rate biocatalytic conversion of feedstock, and high-rate proton transport to the cathode. To overcome these challenges, a patented microbial enrichment process has been created to develop a robust microbial community capable of converting complex waste into electrons at high rates and efficiency. Additionally, preliminary data with robust biocatalyst, novel reactor design and operation provides evidence that the integrated approach can overcome these limitations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.