Aqua Enviro Ltd - Development of a Novel Microwave Hydrolysis Technology to Enhance Anaerobic Digestion Performance and Derive New Feedstock Materials

厌氧消化（AD）是一种生物过程，它降解有机物质，产生沼气和稳定的，营养丰富的残留物。英国政府认识到AD在实现其环境和可再生能源目标方面的重要性，并推出了支持和发展该行业的激励措施。AD中的速率限制步骤是原料的细菌水解（溶解），这与向甲烷的顺式转化相比非常慢。易于生物降解的材料（即食物垃圾）迅速水解，转化为甲烷。然而，许多基质如作物残体、青贮饲料和粪肥含有缓慢水解的物质（即纤维素、木质纤维素），导致甲烷产量降低。因此，非常需要加强水解步骤，以提高沼气产量，改善性能和增加收入。Aqua Enviro确定，约克生物可再生能源开发中心（BDC）开发的一种新型加压微波水解工艺可以用于预处理复杂的AD原料，以提高工艺效率。BDC和Aqua Enviro进行了最初的自筹资金测试，证明预处理玉米青贮饲料时沼气产量大幅增加，最高可达340%。这种增加将通过获得新的原料、使反倾销在较小规模上可行和改善反倾销经济学来使反倾销部门发生革命性变化。Aqua Enviro希望开发并将这项技术引入市场。该概念验证项目旨在为该技术提供强大的科学评估和完整的商业案例，以确保资金/工业合作伙伴能够实现其广泛的商业化。这将包括在不同条件下对一系列种子类型进行MW预处理，并通过实验室规模试验进行AD工艺评估。该项目的产出将证明投资的合理性，以推进到全面的示范试验。

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a biological process which degrades organic material to generatebiogas and a stabilised, nutrient rich residue. The UK Government recognises the importanceof AD in meeting its environmental and renewable energy targets and has introducedincentives to support and develop the industry. The rate limiting step in AD is the bacterialhydrolysis (solubilisation) of the feedstock which is very slow compared to the subsequentconversion to methane. Readily biodegradable materials (i.e. food waste) hydrolyse rapidly,giving a good conversion to methane. However many substrates such as crop residues, silagesand manures contain slowly hydrolysable material (i.e. cellulose, ligno-cellulose) resulting inreduced methane yields. It is therefore highly desirable to enhance the hydrolysis step to boostbiogas yields, improve performance and increase revenue.Aqua Enviro identified that a novel pressurised microwave hydrolysis process developed byYork Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) to breakdown energy crops for fermentationto biofuels, could be used to pre-treat complex AD feedstock in order to boost processefficiency. BDC and Aqua Enviro carried out initial self-funded tests demonstrating dramaticincreases in biogas yield of up to 340% when pre-treating maize silage. Such increases wouldrevolutionise the AD sector by; accessing new feedstocks, making AD viable at smaller scaleand improving AD economics. Aqua Enviro wishes to develop and introduce this technologyinto the market. This Proof of Concept project aims to produce a robust scientific appraisaland full business case for this technology to enable funding/industrial partners to be securedfor its widespread commercialisation. This will comprise MW pre-treatment of a range offeedstock types under varying conditions and AD process assessment via laboratory scalebench trials. The outputs of this project will justify the investment to move up to full-scaledemonstration trials.