SBIR Phase II: CAS: Advanced Scalable and Sustainable Waste Disposal System

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响是完成“凤凰”的开发，这是一种零燃料炉，将垃圾转化为灰烬和能源，每吨温室气体排放量比垃圾填埋场或传统焚烧减少30%。这项技术使城市固体废物能够以分散的方式管理，避免了长途运输的费用和对环境的负面影响。零燃料凤凰是非常具有成本效益的，因为唯一的投入是水，过滤介质和劳动力来操作机器。将机器的成本摊销4年，废物处理成本估计为20美元/吨，是美国最便宜的垃圾填埋场倾倒费的一半。来自水洗涤器的热量可用于产生106.7 KWe的电力，如果利用来自炉的直接热量，则可能增加5至10倍。灰分副产品作为建筑材料或土壤改良剂具有有益的再利用。玻璃和金属不会被过程破坏，可以从灰室中回收再循环，减少了昂贵的分离过程。这些循环经济的好处有助于提高美国回收和废物管理行业的经济竞争力。这个小型企业创新研究第二期项目的重点是低温等离子体的商业应用，以清洁和高成本效益的方式提高城市固体废物的热降解。该技术将完成正在申请专利的移动的废物处理、低温等离子炉的开发，该炉具有热电联产功能，同时避免产生许多有毒化合物，包括传统焚化炉中的二恶英和呋喃。离子发生器利用专有技术将氧分子分解为两个氧原子，从而限制复杂污染物的产生。然而，这个过程仍然可能形成一氧化碳。Phoenix系统使用催化过程在低温下将一氧化碳（CO）转化为二氧化碳（CO2）。第二阶段项目将主要继续改善多种原料的排放质量，重点是塑料。 该团队还将选择最有效和最具成本效益的CO转化催化剂，并进行扩展测试，以评估该装置的长期运行。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to complete the development of "The Phoenix", a zero-fuel furnace that converts trash to ash and energy with 30% less greenhouse gas emissions per ton than landfills or conventional incineration. This technology enables municipal solid waste to be managed in a decentralized manner, avoiding the expense and negative environmental impacts of long-distance transportation. The zero-fuel Phoenix is very cost effective as the only inputs are water, filtration media, and labor to operate the machine. Amortizing the cost of the machine over 4 years, waste disposal cost is estimated at $20/ton which is half the cost of the cheapest landfill tipping fees in the US. Heat from the water scrubber can be utilized to generate 106.7 KWe of electricity, with a potential 5 to 10-fold increase if utilizing direct heat from the furnace. The ash byproduct has beneficial reuse as a construction material or soil amendment. Glass and metal are not destroyed by the process and can be retrieved from the ash chamber for recycling, reducing the costly process of separation. These circular economy benefits help increase the economic competitiveness of the U.S. recycling and waste management industry. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II Project focuses on the commercial application of low temperature plasma to enhance thermal degradation of municipal solid waste in a clean and highly cost-effective manner. The technology would complete the development of a patent-pending mobile waste disposal, low-temperature plasma furnace with electricity cogeneration while avoiding the generation of numerous toxic compounds, including dioxins and furans traditionally associated with conventional incinerators. An ion generator utilizes proprietary technology to break down the oxygen molecule into two oxygen atoms and thereby limiting the generation of complex pollutants. However, this process may still form carbon monoxide. The Phoenix system uses a catalytic process to convert carbon monoxide, CO, to carbon dioxide, CO2, at low temperature. The Phase II project will primarily continue to improve the emissions quality of multiple feedstocks with a focus on plastics. The team will also select the most efficacious and cost-effective catalyst for CO conversion and perform extended testing to evaluate long-term operations of the unit.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.