Electrochemically assisted biotechnologies for resource recovery from organic fraction of municipal solid waste

在加拿大，有机废物约占居民固体废物的40%。由于各种不利的环境影响，包括温室气体的排放，加拿大的大多数城市都设定了从垃圾填埋场转移有机废物的目标。因此，人们对有机废物处理的可持续技术越来越感兴趣。本研究将探讨新兴的电化学辅助生物技术，如电辅助消化池和微生物电化学电池（MXC），以促进固体废物有机部分的同时处理和资源回收。为发展电化学辅助生物技术，从有机废物中回收资源，申请人将专注于两个研究课题。第一个研究主题将集中在理解限制生物甲烷生产的电辅助消化过程动力学的基本原理。第二个研究主题将集中在工程方面，包括有机废物的预处理，以及优化电极配置以提高电辅助消化。此外，将研究MXC从电辅助消化池出水中生产化学氧化剂，这可能会抵消有机废物的预处理成本。拟议的研究整合了微生物电化学，微生物学和环境生物技术的广泛方面。研究方法包括实验室规模的实验，先进的电化学技术，设计和优化先进的工程概念和生物反应器。该项目将允许高素质人才（HQP）获得先进分析技术的实践经验和专业知识，这在加拿大是非常可取的，因为生物能源和资源回收部门的就业机会预计将大幅增长。建议研究的成功完成，将大大促进有机废物从堆填区转移。最终，这项研究将确保加拿大人有一个可持续和健康的环境。

Organic wastes make up approximately 40 percent of the residential solid waste generated in Canada. Most of the municipalities in Canada set a target to divert the organic waste from landfill due to various adverse environmental effects including emission of greenhouse gases. Hence, there has been a growing interest in sustainable technologies for organic waste treatment. The proposed research will investigate emerging electrochemically assisted biotechnologies, such as electro-assisted digester, and microbial electrochemical cell (MXC) to promote simultaneous treatment and resources recovery from the organic fraction of solid waste.To develop electrochemically assisted biotechnologies for resources recovery from organic waste, the applicant will focus on two research themes. The first research theme will focus on the understanding of the fundamentals limiting process kinetics of electro-assisted digestion for bio-methane production. The second research theme will concentrate on the engineering aspects including organic waste pre-treatment, and optimization of the electrode configuration for improving electro-assisted digestion. Furthermore, MXC will be investigated for chemical oxidant production from electro-assisted digester effluent which can potentially offset the organic waste pre-treatment cost.The proposed research integrates broad aspects of microbial electrochemistry, microbiology, and environmental biotechnology. The research methodology involves laboratory-scale experiments, advanced electrochemical techniques, design and optimization of advanced engineering concepts and bioreactors. This program will allow highly qualified personnel (HQP) to acquire hands-on experience and expertise with the advanced analytical techniques which are highly desirable in Canada, as the number of employment opportunities in bioenergy and resource recovery sectors is expected to grow substantially. The successful completion of the proposed research will significantly stimulate the diversion of organic waste from landfill. Ultimately, this research will ensure a sustainable and healthy environment for Canadians.