Technologies
This technology is an alternative approach to wastewater treatment that is able to produce fuel in the form of hydrogen gas. The process is specifically applicable to the denitrification of sanitary wastewater. It results in the production of a pure hydrogen stream that can be used to generate electricity while bringing the embedded nitrogen to its stable, gaseous state. The technology consists of a biochemical process using specific reactor units. First, a bioreactor is used to decompose the biomass, e.g. wastewater. The biomass then passes to an ammonia generation vessel where various additives may be introduced to enhance ammonia production by reducing the nitrogen and/or maintaining appropriate pH conditions. The ammonia gas is then broken down into a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen gas. After a gaseous separation, the hydrogen can be utilized to produce electricity within a generator or fuel cell. A percentage of the produced hydrogen could be combusted to provide heat energy for the catalytic decomposition reactor.
The wastewater treatment process is a significant energy consumer, accounting for nearly 4% of U.S. electricity consumption. This technology not only provides a method for handling biomass waste streams, but also is able to recover renewable energy in the form of high-purity hydrogen. Due to the inherent distributed nature of biomass and waste streams, processes that can treat waste and recover energy in de-centralized locations, such as this process, are ideal.
Each of the unit operations that are part of this biomass waste conversion system is a well-studied and developed technology. The technology is awaiting prototyping and pilot plant testing.
Tech Ventures Reference: IR M06-085