A process and/or system for producing one or more biofuels, wherein biogas (e.g., partially purified biogas produced by removing water, hydrogen sulfide and/or carbon dioxide from raw biogas) is transported by vehicle in one or mobile vessels. De-pressurization of the mobile vessels provides a change in pressure that can be used to provide work, cooling, and/or increased pressure for the production process. Combustion of the biogas produces heat and/or power used to reduce a carbon intensity of the biofuel or biofuel intermediate.

The present invention relates to a method for municipal solid waste (MSW) reclamation in a continuous or discontinuous process first for converting said waste into organic biomass and subsequently extracting and recovering the most chemical compounds contained in said biomass possible, such as triglycerides, sugars and proteins. Therefore, the invention is comprised in the field of recycling, transforming solid waste into reusable solids and biofuels.

A method for improved anaerobic digestion is presented. The method includes mixing a volume of waste material with water to form a feedstock mixture. The volume of waste material includes an initial amount of biomass and the feedstock mixture includes methanogenic bacteria either naturally present in the waste material or introduced artificially. The method also includes introducing one or more promoter substances to the feedstock mixture. The one or more promoter substances are capable of modifying the methanogenic bacteria. Modifying includes stimulating novel enzyme production in the methanogenic bacteria.

An entirely water-based, energy self-sufficient, integrated in-line waste management system is provided for comprehensive conversion of all organic fractions of municipal and wider community waste to fuels suitable for use in transportation, with all solid residues converted to high nutrition compost. The system is based on a combination of pre-treatment, involving alkaline hydrolysis and saponification; three-way separation of the pre-treated waste into different streams that are each directed to suitable further processing including fuel production; which includes biodiesel generation in a continuous-flow catalytic esterification unit, and anaerobic digestion to produce methane or other small molecule biofuel. Remaining solids are converted to compost in a quasi-continuous process.

A system and method for the production of microbial consortiums and by-product material is provided. A physical containment system comprising phase spaces arranged in a discrete order to favor specific biological reactions is also provided. Phase profiles and phase data sets include the pre-determined physical and biological parameters for the phase space transitions. Movement of material from one phase to the next is hydraulically balanced enabling working fluid to continuously move in a fixed direction and rate of flow. Continuous monitoring of phase profiles and phase data sets provide feedback to the system enabling alteration of the conditions in the system to control reactions therein.

A spore germination composition and method to produce a bioaugmentation solution that is added to an anaerobic digester or partially aerobic digester to increase biogas production. A nutrient-germinant composition comprises L-amino acids a phosphate buffer, an industrial preservative, and an optional source of potassium. The composition and spores of one or more Bacillus species are heated to a preferred elevated temperature range of 35° C. to 60° C. for an incubation period of around 20 to 60 minutes to form a bioaugmentation solution that is dispensed to the digester, preferably to the hydrolysis stage of the digester. A dose of bioaugmentation solution is added to the digester around once per day in an amount to provide at least 1000 CFU per mL of the full volume capacity of the digester, which can increase methane production by around 5 to 10% over operation of the digester without the bioaugmentation solution.

Residual lignin recovered from biological conversion processes and pulp and paper industry wastes can be converted to water-soluble products by alkaline oxidation under oxygen pressure at high solids loading within the temperature range 130-180° C. No problems associated with repolymerization reactions are encountered at solids loading between 10-30% where the initial molar ratio of hydroxide base to lignin residual is at last 0.4, possibly because of enhanced reactivity in the oxidation reaction of aromatic groups in self-associate structures. The water-soluble oxidation products can be fractionated to recover a low molecular weight fraction in which pH can be adjusted using C02 without forming precipitates. Sodium carbonate byproduct can be recovered from the pH adjusted reaction mixture using acetone precipitation. The low molecular weight fraction of the pH adjusted oxidation products can be used as feed for anaerobic digestion to biomethane.

A method for improved anaerobic digestion is presented. The method includes mixing a volume of waste material with water to form a feedstock mixture. The volume of waste material includes an initial amount of biomass and the feedstock mixture includes methanogenic bacteria either naturally present in the waste material or introduced artificially. The method also includes introducing one or more promoter substances to the feedstock mixture. The one or more promoter substances are capable of modifying the methanogenic bacteria. Modifying includes stimulating novel enzyme production in the methanogenic bacteria.

Provided are an anaerobic immobilized bacterial agent, a preparation method for same, and applications thereof. The preparation method for the bacterial agent is: selecting four different anaerobic functional bacterial strains, utilizing a pure bacteria culturing technique to produce corresponding culture broths, then mixing the four culture broths according to a certain volume ratio to acquire a compound functional broth, subsequently concentrating into a functional flora precipitation, then dissolving the functional flora precipitation into a polyvinyl alcohol aqueous solution, dripping the solution into a first buffer solution to produce polyvinyl alcohol gel beads, and placing the gel beads produced into a second sulfate-containing buffer solution to produce sulfate-modified polyvinyl alcohol gel beads, that is, the anaerobic immobilized bacterial agent.

The disclosure relates to bioreactors, for example for biological treatment and, more specifically to bioreactor insert apparatus including biofilms and related methods. The bioreactor insert apparatus provides a means for circulation of reaction medium within the bioreactor, a biofilm support, and biological treatment of an inlet feed to die reactor/insert apparatus. The bioreactor insert apparatus has a high relative surface area for biofilm attachment and is capable of generating complex flow patterns and increasing treatment efficiency/biological conversion activity in a biologically-active reactor. The high surface area structure incorporates multiple biofilm support structures such as meshes at inlet and outlet portions of the structure. The biofilm support structures and biofilms thereon can increase overall reaction rate of the bioreactor and/or perform some solid/liquid separation in the treatment of the wastewater or other influent.