A microalgae culture broth producing system includes a device for culture broth sterilization using a micro bubble generator, an air compression and pressure equalization device for the injection of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere into the culture broth. The system also includes an air chilling device to maintain suitable culture broth temperature when water temperature is too high, an automatic carbon dioxide supply device to promote photosynthesis, and a sealed vertical photobioreactor to block out pollutants and increase dissolved carbon dioxide and oxygen concentration. The system further includes a high-efficiency harvesting device using hollow fiber membranes, and a hot air drying device using the waste heat generated by air compression.

The present invention is related to recycling of fermentable and metabolizable biomass materials for sequentially performing a cultivation of fungal cells and for producing biogas by anaerobic fermentation of said biomass materials.

Systems and methods for fractionating whole stillage from an ethanol production facility are provided. Whole stillage undergoes a separation of its liquid portion (thin stillage) from the solid portion (fiber cake). In some embodiments, the solids and liquids in whole stillage may be separated utilizing a screening centrifuge. The fiber cake may be dried to generate a high fiber animal feed. The thin stillage may be provided to a three-phase separator for separation into an oil emulsion, an aqueous clarified stillage, and a protein paste. The protein paste may be dried to generate a high protein animal feed with greater than about 45% protein content. The clarified thin stillage is condensed to yield a syrup with greater than around 60% solids. The oil emulsion is subjected to a pH adjustment to liberate the oil from the emulsion, which is then separated.

A hybrid drying apparatus including: a bed portion having a horizontally disposed top surface; an object-to-be-dried supplying portion configured to spread an object to be dried on the top surface of the bed portion; and a driving unit configured to rotate and drive the bed portion or the object-to-be-dried supplying portion, wherein the object to be dried supplied from the object-to-be-dried supplying portion is spread on the top surface of the bed portion while the bed portion or the object-to-be-dried supplying portion is rotated, and the top surface of the bed portion is heated in such a manner that a lower portion of the bed portion is primarily heated so that the bed portion is used to dry the object to be dried coated on the top surface of the bed portion by the object-to-be-dried supplying portion.

An apparatus and method for dehydrating biological materials, such as vaccines and microorganism cultures, in which the materials are dehydrated in an evacuated container which is in a microwave waveguide that is open to the atmosphere. The apparatus comprises means for freezing the container of biological material, a microwave generator, a waveguide, means for introducing the container into the waveguide, means for applying a vacuum to the container and means for removing the dehydrated material from the waveguide. In the method of the invention, the container of biological material is put in a microwave waveguide open to the atmosphere, a vacuum is applied to the container, the material is frozen and is radiated to dehydrate it. The dehydrated material is then removed from the waveguide.

A process for the anaerobic fermentation of biogenic waste materials including the steps that a fermentation material containing the waste materials is mixed with liquid and the fermentation material suspension obtained in this manner is anaerobically fermented in a fermenter and the digest produced in the fermentation of the fermentation material suspension is dewatered of a dewatering device, wherein, with separation of press water, a press cake is obtained that has a dry matter proportion increased with respect to the digest; the press water is subjected to a solids separation, wherein a residual liquid having a dry matter proportion reduced with respect to the press water of at most 15% by weight is obtained and the residual liquid is used at least in part for the mixing according to the fermentation material step.

Disclosed are devices and methods for non-cryogenic vitrification of biological materials that include the steps of providing one or more capillary channels of which a first opening is operably in contact with a moisture containing vitrification mixture made of a biological material and a vitrification agent.

There is provided a method of drying a biological material, comprising the steps of: a) generating a flow of microdroplets of the biological material having a dry matter content below 25% (weight/volume); b) contacting the microdroplets with a gas flow, wherein the ratio of the gas flow to the flow of microdroplets is at least 300.000:1, preferably at least 600.000:1, more preferably at least 800.000:1, thereby drying the biological material to form particles; c) separating the particles from the gas flow; d) drying the gas flow from step c); and e) recirculating the dried gas flow from step d) to step b). A corresponding apparatus is also provided.

System (100) and method for processing biomass. The system comprises a combined heat and power plant (102), an interface (114) for feeding biogas to a traffic fuel production unit, interfaces (114) to a district heating system (106a) and an electrical grid (106b), and a hydrolysis device (108), a digestion device (110), a dryer (116) and a heat recovery unit (112), which are operatively coupled for transferring heat, intermediate products and final products of the process, wherein raw biomass is received into the hydrolysis device (108), biomass processed by the hydrolysis device (108) is fed to the digestion device (110), biogas obtained in the digestion device (110) is fed to the traffic fuel production unit (104), heat is recovered from the hydrolysis device (108), biomass processed by the digestion device (110) is dried by the heat recovered from the hydrolysis device (108), heat is recovered from the dryer (116), heat recovered from the dryer (116) is fed to the hydrolysis device (108) to be used in pre-heating of the received raw biomass, heat recovered from the dryer (116) is fed to the district heating (106a), and production of electricity is fueled by the dried biomass from the dryer (116).

An apparatus and method for dehydrating biological materials, such as vaccines and microorganism cultures, in which the materials are dehydrated in an evacuated container which is in a microwave waveguide that is open to the atmosphere. The apparatus comprises means for freezing the container of biological material, a microwave generator, a waveguide, means for introducing the container into the waveguide, means for applying a vacuum to the container and means for removing the dehydrated material from the waveguide. In the method of the invention, the container of biological material is put in a microwave waveguide open to the atmosphere, a vacuum is applied to the container, the material is frozen and is radiated to dehydrate it. The dehydrated material is then removed from the waveguide.