SBIR Phase I: Improving feedstock biogas methane yield via microwave and electromagnetic field application

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is centered on enhancing the efficiency of anaerobic digestion for the generation of biogas from organic waste. The United States produces an estimated 70 billion tons or organic waste each year. The bulk of this waste is currently disposed in landfills, where they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental contamination. Conversely, anaerobic digestion is one of the most effective methods of organic waste management, in that it not only eliminates the environmental hazards associated with mismanaged waste (e.g., reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10-13%), but also produces biogas, a valuable renewable energy resource that has been predicted as capable of offsetting 6-9% of the world’s primary energy consumption. This project seeks to develop, model, and validate a technology that leverages microwaves and electromagnetic fields to drive improvements in anaerobic fermentation efficiency by at least 20%. The advancements toward building renewable energy-based infrastructure and reducing organic waste support public health and welfare by contributing to climate change mitigation. The proposed effort is focused on developing a novel technology that enhances anaerobic digestion efficiency by pretreating organic matter with a combination of microwaves (MW)and electro-magnetic fields. Development of a modular system compatible with a wide range of feedstocks while retaining cost-efficient operation is a non-trivial R&D pursuit. The diverse spectrum of inputs with varying dry matter contents and compositions will require different models, operational parameters, and exploration of new technological avenues. Technical de-risking to deliver a core system that is customizable to application-specific needs will require development of 1) mathematical models representative of the technology’s performance against wide array of commercially relevant materials and digestate (e.g., manure, anaerobic digestate, aerobic activated sludge, food waste, and several combinations thereof) and 2) cost-effective operational approaches capable of responding dynamically to feedstock conditions. Technical challenges arise from the complexity of potential feedstocks and the interacting effects of the multi-component system, which could be applied in series, concurrently, or a combination of both, at various ranges of microwave radiation and electromagnetic field application intensities. To overcome these challenges, this project entails development, computational modeling, and testing of a modular system for pre-treatment of a range of commercially relevant organic wastes, to improve anaerobic digestion by at least 20% while maintaining cost- end energy-efficiency. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.