Bioactive filtrate recovery from autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) to produce microbial-derived plant stimulants

TerraBioGen，以前被称为国际生物恢复公司，是一家农业生物技术公司**，开发无细胞，生物刺激物和微生物代谢物生物产品，促进植物生长并**提高其对生物和非生物胁迫的耐受性。在过去，TerraBioGen运营一个自热嗜热好氧消化（ATAD）设施，处理来自温哥华市的有机城市固体废物（主要是食物垃圾），并生产A类生物固体肥料。TerraBioGen操作的大型（即6个60吨和3个120吨）沼气池能够在**达到ATAD条件下成功生产生物活性馏分。这些生物活性组分含有天然存在的细菌菌株，这些菌株对植物生长也有希望的影响，例如促进根系发育，改善植物健康，提高对生物和非生物胁迫的耐受性，并提高作物产量。自大规模**ATAD终止后，TerraBioGen尝试使用小型消化器（即1500、100、**和10 L）生产类似的生物活性组分，但未成功。因此，TerraBioGen迫切需要在实验室规模的消化器中开发类似的生物刺激素，以保持高水平的生产质量。本项目旨在探索在实验室规模的ATAD中开发工艺和操作条件的基本步骤，以促进大规模观察微生物群落。实验室实验将在生物反应器技术**组实验室进行。ATAD将通过配备溶解氧（DO）、pH和温度探头的自动发酵罐进行模拟。UBC奥肯那根校区食堂的食物垃圾将被用作基材。如果实验室规模实验的结果是有希望的，TerraBioGen将能够产生生物活性组分，并节省与建造和运营大型ATAD消化器相关的大量资本和运营成本。**通过使用生物刺激剂，目前农业实践中种植更多的土地和更多的灌溉**以及使用更多的肥料来满足不断增长的需求的压力将会减少。该项目将在减少废物和资源回收方面培养高素质的**人员。

TerraBioGen, previously known as International Bio Recovery Corporation, is an agricultural biotech company**that develops cell-free, bio-stimulants and microbial metabolite bio-products that encourage plant growth and**enhance their tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the past, TerraBioGen operated an autothermal**thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) facility in which it processed organic municipal solid waste (mostly**food waste) from the City of Vancouver and produced Class A biosolids fertilizer. The large-scale (i.e., six 60**ton and three 120 ton) digesters operated by TerraBioGen were able to produce bioactive fractions successful at**achieving ATAD conditions. These bioactive fractions contained naturally occurring bacterial strains that also**had promising effects on plant growth, such as enhanced root development, improved plant health, increased**tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses and enriched crop yield. Since termination of the large-scale**ATAD, TerraBioGen tried to produce similar bioactive fractions using small-scale digesters (i.e., 1500, 100,**and 10 L) but was unsuccessful. Hence, TerraBioGen has an urgent need of developing similar biostimulants in**lab-scale digesters to maintain production at high level of quality. This project aims to explore the basic steps**involved in developing process and operating conditions at a lab-scale ATAD that encourages the microbial**community observed at large-scale. Laboratory experiments will be conducted at the Bioreactor Technology**Group Laboratory. ATAD will be simulated by automated fermenters with dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and**temperature probes. As substrate, food waste from cafeterias on UBC's Okanagan Campus will be used. If**results from the lab-scale experiments are promising, TerraBioGen will be able to generate bioactive fractions**and save significant capital and operational cost related to building and operating large scale ATAD digesters.**By using the biostimulant, the stress on current agricultural practices for farming more land and more irrigation**and using more fertilizer to meet increasing demand will be reduced. The project will train highly qualified**personnel in areas of waste reduction and resource recovery.