I-Corps: Liquid organic anti-icer

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种技术，可以通过厌氧消化将作为城市固体废物（MSW;美国每年生产3500万吨）处理的庭院修剪物转化为环境友好的防冰剂。拟议的防冰剂是传统除冰剂的一种有效替代品，因为它可以在暴风雪袭击目标地区之前应用于路面，从而消除了在暴风雪期间进行除冰操作的需要。最常用的防冻剂之一是氯化钠（NaCl，盐水）。虽然盐水通常被用作道路和机场上的防冰剂，但盐水的使用会腐蚀车辆，桥梁和沥青，并且已知会破坏周围环境。还已知盐水在周围环境中具有高的传输速率和低的保持时间。 市场上盐水的有机替代品是醋酸钙镁（CMA）和醋酸钾。然而，这些产品的成本约为每吨700 - 1,000美元。 拟议的反冰器的商业潜力将被评估为一个具有成本效益和环境友好的替代其竞争对手。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种防冰路面处理方法。 它是通过同时使用厌氧消化和加速的生物沥滤过程来生产的，以从与糖蜜或任何其他富钾有机材料共消化的草或任何高蛋白植物基质（绿色废物）的消化中形成液体有机防冰剂。这两个过程同时发生在厌氧消化器内，该消化器以最佳比例填充有绿色废物、糖蜜和水，并配备有再循环系统。在厌氧消化的过程中，不溶性有机化合物被水解，并通过存在于草中的天然存在的厌氧细菌分解成更简单的可溶性有机化合物。在此过程中，产生乙酸盐，并通过与糖蜜中存在的钾反应，形成乙酸钾，其可用作液体有机防冻剂。初步结果表明，拟议的防冰剂可能是有效的温度低至15华氏度。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a technology that can convert yard trimmings disposed as municipal solid waste (MSW; 35 million tons produced annually in the US), into an environmentally benign anti-icer through anaerobic digestion. The proposed anti-icer is a potent alternative to traditional deicers, as it may be applied to road surfaces before a snow storm hits the targeted area, eliminating the need for deicer operations to be performed during the storm. One of the most commonly-used anti-icers is sodium chloride (NaCl, salt brine). While salt brine typically has been used as an anti-icer on roadways and in airports, the use of the salt brine corrodes vehicles, bridges, and asphalt and is known to damage the surrounding environment. It is also known that salt brine has a high transport rate in the surrounding environments and low hold-over time. Organic alternatives to the salt brine in the market are calcium-magnesium acetate (CMA) and potassium acetate. However, these products cost about a $700-$1,000 per ton. Commercial potential of the proposed anti-icer will be evaluated as a cost-effective and environmentally benign alternative to its competitors. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an anti-icer road surface treatment. It is produced from simultaneous use of anaerobic digestion and accelerated bioleaching processes to form a liquid organic anti-icer from digestion of grass or any high protein plant substrates (green waste) co-digested with molasses or any other potassium rich organic material. The two simultaneous processes take place inside an anaerobic digester filled with green waste and molasses and water at optimum proportions and equipped with a recirculation system. In the process of anaerobic digestion, insoluble organic compounds are hydrolyzed and broken into simpler soluble organic compounds by the naturally occurring anaerobic bacteria present in the grass. During this process, acetate is produced, and through a reaction with potassium present in molasses, it forms potassium acetate, which may be used as liquid organic anti-icer. Preliminary results have shown that the proposed anti-icer may be effective at temperatures as low as 15˚F.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.