The specification describes a system and process for treating a sludge or slurry to produce biochar. The sludge or in slurry may be digestate produced by an anaerobic digester that receives waste activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. In a process, digestate is dosed with metal ions, dewatered, and pyrolized. A corresponding system includes a reactor, a dewatering unit and a pyrolysis unit. In an example, the digestate is air stripped in the reactor and a metal salt is added to it. The metal ions form precipitates in the digestate that remain in the biochar. In some cases, a precipitate such as struvite is formed that also increases the phosphorous content of the biochar. The biochar may be used as a soil amendment, wherein the metal and phosphorous are beneficial to the soil.

Some embodiments are directed to a process for forming products from animal waste (e.g., poultry litter). The products may include a controlled release fertilizer and renewable natural gas. The process may include providing a feedstock comprising greater than about 80 percent poultry waste and a moisture content of about 25 percent. The feedstock may be diluted to form a slurry having a moisture content of about 90%. The slurry may be mechanically refined to reduce the particle size distribution and the average particle size of the slurry. The slurry may be anaerobically digested to produce biogas and a digestate. The biogas may be converted to renewable natural gas, and the digestate may be converted to a controlled release fertilizer. Additionally, some embodiments are directed to methods of reducing nitrogen emission from soil amendments. Some embodiments are directed to reducing nitrogen emissions sufficient to produce emissions offset credits.

The invention is a system and method for transforming food waste into a commercial cleaning product. The system is containable in an enclosed facility and installable in urban environments. Food waste is sorted and ground into uniformly sized particles, heated to an acceleration temperature, inoculated with an inoculant including lactic acid bacteria, which is mixed into the ground waste. The waste then undergoes sedentary fermentation for times as short as 24 hours or less. The fermented waste is separated into liquids and solids, and liquids are further separated into at least one distillation stream. Solids are dried to obtain a second distillation stream.

The invention relates to a method for recovering phosphorus from sludge in sewage plants, wherein: the sludge is pre-acidified under anaerobic process conditions and the pH value is then increased to a pH value <7 by adding at least one alkaline calcium-containing chemical; brushite crystals are formed by calcium ions of the chemical and are precipitated, and deposited brushite crystals are removed; and the phosphorus-reduced sludge is then supplied to a digestion process.

The invention is directed to a process and equipment for use in a process to bacterially decompose organic waste to a dry composted end material wherein organic waste is composted in a composting tank in the presence of oxygen and aerobic bacteria to obtain a wet composted material. The wet composted material is partly removed from the composting tank and dried such to lower the water content of the composted material to obtain dry composted end material.

The invention is directed to a process and equipment for use in a process to bacterially decompose organic waste to a dry composted end material wherein organic waste is composted in a composting tank in the presence of oxygen and aerobic bacteria to obtain a wet composted material. The wet composted material is partly removed from the composting tank and dried such to lower the water content of the composted material to obtain dry composted end material.

Primary leachate is used as a plant growth stimulant. A fermentation medium is fermented with a microbial culture in a bioreactor to produce a primary leachate comprising microorganisms derived from the microbial culture and/or naturally occurring microorganisms. The primary leachate is isolated from the bioreactor, diluted with water, and used to irrigate plants to reduce bacterial diversity and stimulate beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere around the plants. The fermentation medium may be organic waste, preferably food waste. A secondary leachate may also be used as a plant growth stimulant. The primary leachate is used to culture black soldier fly larvae with a substrate in a secondary processing bioreactor under suboptimal culture conditions, thereby producing secondary leachate. Melanin is extracted therefrom by acid precipitation. The secondary leachate is then diluted with water and used to irrigate plants, reducing bacterial diversity and stimulating beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere around the plants.

Primary leachate is used as a plant growth stimulant. A fermentation medium is fermented with a microbial culture in a bioreactor to produce a primary leachate comprising microorganisms derived from the microbial culture and/or naturally occurring microorganisms. The primary leachate is isolated from the bioreactor, diluted with water, and used to irrigate plants to reduce bacterial diversity and stimulate beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere around the plants. The fermentation medium may be organic waste, preferably food waste. A secondary leachate may also be used as a plant growth stimulant. The primary leachate is used to culture black soldier fly larvae with a substrate in a secondary processing bioreactor under suboptimal culture conditions, thereby producing secondary leachate. Melanin is extracted therefrom by acid precipitation. The secondary leachate is then diluted with water and used to irrigate plants, reducing bacterial diversity and stimulating beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere around the plants.

Provided herein is technology relating to organic fertilizers and particularly, but not exclusively, to organic and/or biodegradable flocculants, methods of preparing organic fertilizers using an organic and/or biodegradable flocculant, and systems for treating water using an organic and/or biodegradable flocculant to prepare an organic fertilizer.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for recovering effective resources including nitrogen and phosphorus. According to one aspect of the present embodiment, provided are an apparatus and a method for recovering effective resources, which efficiently recover resources such as methane, nitrogen, and phosphorus while minimizing the use of chemicals.