Maximizing Microorganism-Based Resources Bruce E. Rittmann Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering Director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University [email protected]http://environmentalbiotechnology.org
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Maximizing Microorganism-Based Resources · Maximizing Microorganism-Based Resources Bruce E. Rittmann Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering Director of the Swette Center
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Maximizing Microorganism-BasedResources
Bruce E. Rittmann
Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering
Director of the Swette Center for EnvironmentalBiotechnology
• We know that many kinds of complexorganic residues – food processingwastes, animal wastes, sludges,microalgae, etc. – can be converted intorenewable, socially useful energy bydifferent anaerobic microbial systems.
• Why aren’t we doing more of it?
– So far, it is not economically valuable enough.
We Want to Improve the ValueProposition
1. Get more energy out of complex organicresidues
2. Produce a higher value energy outputthan methane
3. Capture nutrients into high value “mobile”stream
4. Get high value from the left-over solids
Our PARENS concept
PARENS = Profitable Agriculture through Recovered Energy, Nutrients, andSolids
uses pulsed electric fields (PEF) ofhigh voltage to permanently openpores and fragment flocs and cells:
– Voltage of 20 – 30 kV, Pulsingfrequency of > 2000 Hz, Treatmenttime <500 milliseconds
• Full-scale application (Mesa,Arizona) indicated that FP pre-treatment of the input primary andWAS demonstrated a biogasproduction increase of nearly 60%and reduced biosolids requiringdisposal by 30%
• FP treatment caused importantimprovements in the microbialcommunity structure
Up to 200% more CH4 from animal wastes!
2. Produce a higher valueenergy output than methane
P-RCN: Coordinating PhosphorusResearch to Create a Sustainable
Food System
• Five-year effort funded by the US NationalScience Foundation (2012 – 2017)
• ASU as lead institution
– James Elser is PI; Helen Rowe is executive
• Goal: catalyze an international network ofresearchers and practitioners tosynthesize data, perspectives, andunderstanding about phosphorus toidentify and implement solutions for Psustainability.