9785results about "Treatment with anaerobic digestion processes" patented technology

A method wherein lignocellulosic biomass materials are converted into combustible fuel products. In particular, the method is a continuous process, involving wet oxidation or steam explosion, for fermentatively converting such biomass materials into ethanol using a process design that permits all or part of the process water from the ethanol fermentation process to be recycled to reduce the consumption of process water. The effluent from the ethanol fermentation step may be subjected to an anaerobic fermentation step generating methane and a water effluent in which the amount of potentially inhibitory substances is at a sub-inhibitory level, which in turn permits all or part of the effluent water from the anaerobic fermentation step to be recycled into the process.

Systems and methods for extracorporeal processing of blood or other body fluid for the treatment of conditions, such as sepsis, autoimmune disease, or toxemia related to kidney failure, liver failure, or drug overdose are provided. In an extracorporeal treatment system, a fraction of a body fluid is passed into a treatment fluid, at least a portion of which is then passed through a sorbent suspension reactor for treatment by a sorbent suspension. The treatment fluid circuit can be maintained at a fixed volume, which enables accurate fluid balance between the patient and the extracorporeal circuit. Some or all of the treatment fluid, optionally also containing nutrients and / or therapeutic agents, is returned to the patient. In a peritoneal dialysis system, dialysate is passed into a patient's peritoneal cavity, recovered from the cavity, passed through a sorbent suspension reactor in accordance with the invention, and returned to the cavity.

According to an embodiment, a biomass conversion subsystem produces methane and / or alcohol and residual biomass. A pyrolysis or a gasification subsystem is used to produce thermal energy and / or process gasses. The thermal energy may be stored thermal energy in the form of a pyrolysis oil. A fuel conversion subsystem produces liquid hydrocarbon fuels from the methane and / or alcohol using thermal energy and / or process gasses produced by the gasification or pyrolysis subsystem. Because the biomass production system integrates the residual products from biomass conversion and the residual thermal energy from pyrolysis or gasification, the overall efficiency of the integrated biomass production system is greatly enhanced.

A method of disposing waste includes the step of forming a primary waste pond called an Advanced Facultative Pond (AFP). A stable microbiological methane fermentation zone is established within the AFP. The system constitutes a complete primary treatment of organic waste and wastewater that does not require daily sludge handling typically associated with organic waste treatment and disposal. The method of the invention converts organic compounds, including settleable solids, into methane. The invention controls sulfide odors from methane fermentation. The invention also provides a method of filtering raw wastewater through a bed of fermenting organic solids suspended by gas evolved in a fermentation zone. Hydrogen sulfide is oxidized in accordance with the invention. The technique of the invention biologically increases pH near the pond surface, thus retaining hydrogen sulfide in solution in the pond water. The biological increasing of the pH level near the pond surface increases the rate of die-away of pathogenic bacteria. The invention transforms proteins and other organic nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas. The invention also transforms proteins and other organic nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas; the invention detoxifies chlorinated hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds; the invention captures and stores gases evolved from methane fermentation; the invention removes heavy metals, while establishing meromixis in fermentation cells or zones within primary wastewater ponds.

An apparatus is provided for separation of suspended solid particles from fluids, for separation and mixing of fluids, and for dissolving gases in aqueous fluids. The apparatus employs a grooved ring to divide the fluid stream and impart a high velocity on each of the divided or sub-streams. A grooved ring with any number of grooves that may be spiral in shape is used to create a high velocity circular motion on a divided stream for separation of suspended solid particles by centrifugal force in a cyclone filter and for saturation of liquid with gases in a fluid mixer where gases are introduced through a diffuser. A grooved ring with any number of grooves that may be radial is used in a fluid mixer to divide a stream of fluid, produce a high velocity flow through each groove, introduce a second fluid through an orifice into the first fluid flowing through each groove, and direct the fluid mixture to a center impact zone where the various streams collide to complete the mixing.

A method for hydrogen production from biodegradable feedstocks in which a feedstock having at least one biodegradable solid is introduced into a first stage anaerobic bioreactor operating at thermophilic conditions to form a liquid effluent which includes fatty acids. The liquid effluent is transferred through a plurality of hollow semipermeable fibers disposed in a second stage anaerobic bioreactor having a light transmitting wall, which hollow semipermeable fibers have an outer surface coated with a biofilm of photosynthetic bacteria, which photosynthetic bacteria, using the nutrients in the hollow fibers and the incoming light, generates hydrogen.

Methods and apparatus may permit the generation of consistent output synthesis gas from highly variable input feedstock solids carbonaceous materials. A stoichiometric objectivistic chemic environment may be established to stoichiometrically control carbon content in a solid carbonaceous materials gasifier system. Processing of carbonaceous materials may include dominative pyrolytic decomposition and multiple coil carbonaceous reformation. Dynamically adjustable process determinative parameters may be utilized to refine processing, including process utilization of negatively electrostatically enhanced water species, process utilization of flue gas (9), and adjustment of process flow rate characteristics. Recycling may be employed for internal reuse of process materials, including recycled negatively electrostatically enhanced water species, recycled flue gas (9), and recycled contaminants. Synthesis gas generation may involve predetermining a desired synthesis gas for output and creating high yields of such a predetermined desired synthesis gas.