Difference between revisions of "Team:Calgary/Products"

 
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<h3>By-product streams:</h3>
 
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<li>Solid-liquid separation: Sludge-like matter </li>
 
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<li>PHB separation: Water stream containing some VFAs and PHB stream (plastic for 3D printing) </li>
 
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<h3>Treatment of by-products to produce useful materials:</h3>
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<h2> Overview </h2>
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<p> The <b>sludge-like by product</b> can either be fed into the general wastewater processing unit and be combined with the other sludge for treatment, or it can be treated using Torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) technology. The two streams that would leave the torrefaction processing unit (TPU) are water with some VFAs and char - black solid matter.  
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<p>The main product from our process is PHB, which can be used for 3D printing after the PHB extraction step. Water is also recovered from human feces and can undergo additional treatment after PHB extraction to become potable water or to be reused in the vacuum toilet. Lastly, char would be produced as a byproduct of torrefaction to treat the solids separated during the solid-liquid separation step. The resulting primary product and secondary byproducts are summarized in Figure 1.</p>
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Our team believes that torrefaction is the most efficient approach to treatment of the sludge-like matter as it holds a couple of benefits:
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<p><center><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/1/19/Calgary2017_ProcessOverview.png" alt="Process Overview" style="width:100%"></center></p>
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<div id="Caption"><b>Figure 1: </b> Diagram of the proposed process indicating primary product PHB and secondary products (water and char).</div>
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<h2>Desired product: PHB </h2>
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<p> The major process product is PHB bioplastic. PHB can be used in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printing on Mars. The production of PHB from solid human waste is advantageous for the following reasons:
  
 
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<li> it is biologically stable - doesn’t support biological activity</li>
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<li> It addresses the challenge of anticipating every little thing astronauts might need on Mars by providing a resource for production of urgently required tools </li>
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<li> torrefaction allows for production of pyrlytic water – meaning extra water recovery</li>
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<li> It addresses the issue with high transportation costs</li>
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<li> char can be used as a building material </li>
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<li> It reuses solid human waste and does not require an additional feedstock </li>
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<li> char can be used for radiation shielding</li>
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<li> It recovers water from solid human waste </li>
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<li>char can be used as a food substrate </li>
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<li> It produces char that can be used for applications that NASA is considering such as fertilizer or radiation shielding </li>  
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<li> char can be used as a carbon/hydrogen storage </li>
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<li> It produces a plastic that can be biodegraded in a controlled environment to <b>close the carbon-hydrogen cycle</b></li>
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<h3> PHB characteristics and properties:</h3>
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<b>Physical Properties (Manufacturing and Properties of PHB)</b>
 
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<ul>
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<li>Molecular weight = 2-3×10<sup>3</sup> kDa </li>
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<li>Melting point = 173°C at 1 atm </li>
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<li>Crystallinity = 55% </li>
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</ul>
  
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<p> The torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale, however a couple of papers (M. Serio, J. Cosgrove, M. Wojtowicz, 2016), (M. Serio, M. Wojtowicz, K. Wignarajah, 2014)) by NASA outline the potential of the system and see it as a promising solution for the sludge management in space and on Mars. </p>
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<p> Our team suggests that the<b> water and VFAs </b> by-product stream is fed into one of the final stages of the water processing unit (WPU), where it can be cleaned to the required water quality standard. Such treatment allows to <u>close the water loop </u> in the feces treatment (recycle all the water).</p>
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<h2>Byproducts: Water and VFA stream </h2>
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<p> In our process, water is recovered from solid human waste. This water + VFA stream can be treated in the water processing unit (WPU), which is currently implemented on the International Space Station to recycle and clean water. Such treatment allows us to <b>close the water loop</b> in the feces treatment by recycling all of the water.</p>
  
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<h2>Byproduct: Char</h2>
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<p>The sludge byproduct is produced during solid-liquid separation and filtration stages. Sludge can either be fed into the general wastewater processing unit, where it would be combined with the other sludge for storage or treatment, or it can be treated using torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) technology. Torrefaction will produce char which can be a used as a building material, radiation shielding, and as a food substrate. In addition to char, torrefaction will recover more water and VFAs from sludge. To summarize, torrefaction provides the following benefits: </p>
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<ul>
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<li> It produces biologically stable char (no biological activity)</li>
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<li> It recovers pyrolytic water</li>
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<li> It produces char that can be used as a building material, radiation shielding, food substrate and carbon/hydrogen storage </li>
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</ul>
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<p> The torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale. However, literature discusses the potential of the system as a promising solution for sludge management in space and on Mars (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 2016), (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 2014). </p>
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<h2> Works cited </h2>
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<p>A. Serio, M., E. Cosgrove, J., & A. Wojtowicz, M. (2016). Torrefaction Processing for Human Solid Waste Managment. In 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems (pp. 1-18). East Hartford: Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.</p>
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<p>Manufacturing and properties of PHB. Retrieved October 27, 2017, from https://sundoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/diss-online/02/02H017/t2.pdf</html>
  
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Latest revision as of 19:03, 1 November 2017

Header

Products

Overview

The main product from our process is PHB, which can be used for 3D printing after the PHB extraction step. Water is also recovered from human feces and can undergo additional treatment after PHB extraction to become potable water or to be reused in the vacuum toilet. Lastly, char would be produced as a byproduct of torrefaction to treat the solids separated during the solid-liquid separation step. The resulting primary product and secondary byproducts are summarized in Figure 1.

Process Overview

Figure 1: Diagram of the proposed process indicating primary product PHB and secondary products (water and char).

Desired product: PHB

The major process product is PHB bioplastic. PHB can be used in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printing on Mars. The production of PHB from solid human waste is advantageous for the following reasons:

  • It addresses the challenge of anticipating every little thing astronauts might need on Mars by providing a resource for production of urgently required tools
  • It addresses the issue with high transportation costs
  • It reuses solid human waste and does not require an additional feedstock
  • It recovers water from solid human waste
  • It produces char that can be used for applications that NASA is considering such as fertilizer or radiation shielding
  • It produces a plastic that can be biodegraded in a controlled environment to close the carbon-hydrogen cycle

PHB characteristics and properties:

Physical Properties (Manufacturing and Properties of PHB)
  • Molecular weight = 2-3×103 kDa
  • Melting point = 173°C at 1 atm
  • Crystallinity = 55%

Byproducts: Water and VFA stream

In our process, water is recovered from solid human waste. This water + VFA stream can be treated in the water processing unit (WPU), which is currently implemented on the International Space Station to recycle and clean water. Such treatment allows us to close the water loop in the feces treatment by recycling all of the water.


Byproduct: Char

The sludge byproduct is produced during solid-liquid separation and filtration stages. Sludge can either be fed into the general wastewater processing unit, where it would be combined with the other sludge for storage or treatment, or it can be treated using torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) technology. Torrefaction will produce char which can be a used as a building material, radiation shielding, and as a food substrate. In addition to char, torrefaction will recover more water and VFAs from sludge. To summarize, torrefaction provides the following benefits:

  • It produces biologically stable char (no biological activity)
  • It recovers pyrolytic water
  • It produces char that can be used as a building material, radiation shielding, food substrate and carbon/hydrogen storage

The torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale. However, literature discusses the potential of the system as a promising solution for sludge management in space and on Mars (M. Serio et al., 2016), (M. Serio et al., 2014).


Works cited

A. Serio, M., E. Cosgrove, J., & A. Wojtowicz, M. (2016). Torrefaction Processing for Human Solid Waste Managment. In 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems (pp. 1-18). East Hartford: Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.

Manufacturing and properties of PHB. Retrieved October 27, 2017, from https://sundoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/diss-online/02/02H017/t2.pdf