Breakthrough Technologies for the Biorefining of Organic Solid and Liquid Wastes
Paul Chen,
Erik Anderson,
Min Addy,
Renchuan Zhang,
Yanling Cheng,
Peng Peng,
Yiwei Ma,
Liangliang Fan,
Yaning Zhang,
Qian Lu,
Shiyu Liu,
Nan Zhou,
Xiangyuan Deng,
Wenguang Zhou,
Muhammad Omar,
Richard Griffith,
Faryal Kabir,
Hanwu Lei,
Yunpu Wang,
Yuhuan Liu,
Roger Ruan
Affiliations
Paul Chen
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Erik Anderson
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Min Addy
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Renchuan Zhang
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Yanling Cheng
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Peng Peng
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Yiwei Ma
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Liangliang Fan
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Yaning Zhang
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Qian Lu
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Shiyu Liu
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Nan Zhou
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Xiangyuan Deng
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Wenguang Zhou
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Muhammad Omar
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Richard Griffith
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Faryal Kabir
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Hanwu Lei
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Yunpu Wang
MOE Biomass Engineering Research Center, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
Yuhuan Liu
MOE Biomass Engineering Research Center, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
Roger Ruan
Center for Biorefining and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; MOE Biomass Engineering Research Center, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China; Corresponding author.
Organic solid and liquid wastes contain large amounts of energy, nutrients, and water, and should not be perceived as merely waste. Recycling, composting, and combustion of non-recyclables have been practiced for decades to capture the energy and values from municipal solid wastes. Treatment and disposal have been the primary management strategy for wastewater. As new technologies are emerging, alternative options for the utilization of both solid wastes and wastewater have become available. Considering the complexity of the chemical, physical, and biological properties of these wastes, multiple technologies may be required to maximize the energy and value recovery from the wastes. For this purpose, biorefining tends to be an appropriate approach to completely utilize the energy and value available in wastes. Research has demonstrated that non-recyclable waste materials and bio-solids can be converted into usable heat, electricity, fuel, and chemicals through a variety of processes, and the liquid waste streams have the potential to support crop and algae growth and provide other energy recovery and food production options. In this paper, we propose new biorefining schemes aimed at organic solid and liquid wastes from municipal sources, food and biological processing plants, and animal production facilities. Four new breakthrough technologies—namely, vacuum-assisted thermophilic anaerobic digestion, extended aquaponics, oily wastes to biodiesel via glycerolysis, and microwave-assisted thermochemical conversion—can be incorporated into the biorefining schemes, thereby enabling the complete utilization of those wastes for the production of chemicals, fertilizer, energy (biogas, syngas, biodiesel, and bio-oil), foods, and feeds, and resulting in clean water and a significant reduction in pollutant emissions. Keywords: Municipal solid waste, Municipal wastewater, Pyrolysis, Gasification, Anaerobic digestion, Microalgae, Biodiesel, Biorefining
