Methods include providing a natural gas stream; directing a first fraction of the natural gas stream to a bioreactor including a propagating culture of hydrocarbon degrading microbes; directing a second fraction of the gas stream to a local power generator and converting the natural gas stream to electricity and heat; using a dynamic control system to balance of the gas stream to the first fraction and the second fraction based on one or more of the availability of electricity from an electricity grid and the price of electricity from the electricity grid; powering, at least in part, the bioreactor with the electricity generated by the local power generator; and harvesting the hydrocarbon degrading microbes from the bioreactor as a biomass. Related systems are also provided.

The invention essentially concerns a method for storing a biogas in a tank, said method comprising the following steps:

direct contacting of the biogas with a hydrocarbon of the C.sub.3 to C.sub.7 family under conditions allowing at least partial liquefaction of the biogas to obtain a biogas-hydrocarbon mixture that is at least partly liquid, and

storing (S260) the biogas-hydrocarbon mixture in the tank.

A methane generating device includes: a culture tank in which methane generating bacteria are cultured with a culture liquid; a gas feed device that feeds carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas required by the methane generating bacteria to the culture tank; and a generated gas extraction device that extracts methane generated by the methane generating bacteria.

According to present disclosure, there is disclosed an algae growth and cultivation system that provides a cost-efficient means of producing algae biomass as feedstock for algae-based products, such as, fertilizer, feed, biofuel manufacture, and desirably impacts, nutrient recovery from waste streams for valued byproducts production, recycle water, and alternative/renewable energy production. The system as discussed herein is an integrated systems approach to wastewater treatment, algal strains selection for byproducts production, and recycle of algal biomass-processing waste or additional algae harvested as feedstock for products such as fertilizer production. Embodiments of a system as discussed herein present an economically viable algae production system and process that allows algae-derived products such as fertilizer, feed, biofuels, etc. to compete with non-organic or petroleum products in the marketplace.

An apparatus is described which includes at least one reactor, at least one linear piston pump, the or each piston pump including a tube, a piston and an arm coupled to the piston, the or each piston pump arranged to inject feedstock to a respective reactor, a beam or plate coupled to the arm(s) of the piston pump(s) configured to linearly drive the piston(s) and a linear actuator for driving the beam or plate. The piston pump has a volume of at least 50 milliliters and an output port having a diameter of at least 5 mm.

A system comprising a collocated thermal plant, water source, CO.sub.2 source and biomass growth module is disclosed. A method of improving the environment by utilizing the system is disclosed.

A process for the production of a methane-enriched gas including the steps of providing a bioreactor having at least one device for supplying a gas, and at least one outlet for removing the methane-enriched gas generated in the bioreactor; providing a device for determining the proportion of carbon dioxide in the methane-enriched gas removed from the bioreactor; specifying a target value S for the proportion of carbon dioxide in the methane-enriched gas removed from the bioreactor; supplying carbon dioxide-containing gas to the bioreactor; supplying hydrogen-containing gas to the bioreactor; forming methane-enriched gas in the bioreactor; removing the methane-enriched gas formed in the bioreactor from the bioreactor; determining an actual value for the proportion of carbon dioxide in the methane-enriched gas removed from the bioreactor; comparing the target value S with the determined actual value; regulating the quantity of supplied carbon dioxide-containing gas and/or regulating the quantity of supplied hydrogen-containing gas in a manner such that the determined actual value corresponds to the specified target value S, wherein the target value S specified for the proportion of carbon dioxide in the methane-enriched gas removed from the bioreactor satisfies the condition 0 vol% < S ≤ 5 vol%.

An automated food waste processing system including an enclosure secured to prevent unauthorized access to contents contained therein, the enclosure including a plurality of exterior walls and a food waste processing system housed within the enclosure. The food waste processing system including an imaging system configured to capture a plurality of images of the food waste and the non-biodegradable material received by the sorting receptacle, a processing system configured to process the plurality of images using a trained neural network to identify at least plastic waste and metal waste as the non-biodegradable material when included in the food waste input stream as received by the sorting receptacle, and a sorting system configured to, in response to instructions received from the processing system, automatically locate and remove the non-biodegradable material from the sorting receptacle to create a bio-degradable input stream to the anaerobic digester.

The present invention relates to a solid state fermentation process for producing hydrogen, and to a bioreactor and solid support for use in the fermentation process.

The invention integrates electromethanogenesis, which uses electric energy to produce fuel, with a method to capture and recycle the carbon dioxide generated when the fuel is used to release energy.