Difference between revisions of "Team:Calgary/Products"

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<h2> Overview </h2>
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<p>The main product from our process is Polyhydroxybutyrate (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 drinkable water or to be reused in the vacuum toilet. Lastly, char would be produced as a by-product if torrefaction is used to treat the solids separated during solid-liquid separation step. The produced by-products are shown in Figure 1</p>
  
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<h2>Major product: PHB </h2>
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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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<p> The major process product is PHB (Plyhydroxybuterate) plastic. PHB can be used in SLS 3D printing on Mars and on the ISS. The advantages of producing PHB plastic on Mars are:
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<div id="Caption"><b>Figure 1: </b> Diagram of the proposed process indicating products and by-products.</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:
  
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
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<li> availability of resource for production of urgently needed tools </li>
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<li> Addresses the challenge with anticipating every little thing astronauts might need on Mars by providing a resource for production of urgently needed tools </li>
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<li>the plastic is biodegradable and hence the Carbon-Hydrogen cycle can eventually be closed (once the 3D printed tool is on no use any more)</li>
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<li> Addresses the issue with high transportation costs</li>
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<li> Solve the problem of high cost of material shipping to space </li>
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<li> Uses solid human waste </li>
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<li> Solve the problem of waste management on Mars </li>
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<li> Recoveres water from solid human waste </li>
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<li> Produces by-products that can be used for applications that NASA is considering such as fertilizer or radiation shielding </li>
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<li> Produces plastic that can be biodegraded in a controlled environment to close the carbon-hydrogen cycle</li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
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<div id="OneCol"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/1/19/Calgary2017_ProcessOverview.png" alt="Optional Image Name" /></div><h2>By-Product: Char</h2>
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<div id="OneCol"><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/1/19/Calgary2017_ProcessOverview.png" alt="Optional Image Name" /></div>
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<h2>By-Product: Water and VFA stream </h2>
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<p> Our team suggests the water and VFAs by-product stream to be 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 <b>close the water loop </b> in the feces treatment (recycle all the water).</p>
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<h2>By-Product: Char</h2>
 
<p> The <i>sludge by-product</i> comes out of the 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 treatment, or it can be treated using <i>Torrefaction </i>(mild pyrolysis) technology. </p>
 
<p> The <i>sludge by-product</i> comes out of the 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 treatment, or it can be treated using <i>Torrefaction </i>(mild pyrolysis) technology. </p>
 
<p>The two streams that would leave the torrefaction processing unit (TPU) are water with some VFAs and char - black solid matter.  
 
<p>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 torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale, however a couple of papers (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 2016), (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 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>
 
<p> The torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale, however a couple of papers (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 2016), (M. Serio <i>et al.</i>, 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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<h2>By-Product: Water and VFA stream </h2>
 
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<p> Our team suggests the water and VFAs by-product stream to be 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 <b>close the water loop </b> in the feces treatment (recycle all the water).</p>
 
  
  

Revision as of 00:43, 31 October 2017

Header

Products

Overview

The main product from our process is Polyhydroxybutyrate (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 drinkable water or to be reused in the vacuum toilet. Lastly, char would be produced as a by-product if torrefaction is used to treat the solids separated during solid-liquid separation step. The produced by-products are shown in Figure 1

Process Overview

Figure 1: Diagram of the proposed process indicating products and by-products.

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:

  • Addresses the challenge with anticipating every little thing astronauts might need on Mars by providing a resource for production of urgently needed tools
  • Addresses the issue with high transportation costs
  • Uses solid human waste
  • Recoveres water from solid human waste
  • Produces by-products that can be used for applications that NASA is considering such as fertilizer or radiation shielding
  • Produces 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 = 2-3×10^3 kDa
  • Melting point = 173°C
  • Crystallinity = 55 %

General properties

  • Eco-friendly
  • Biodegradable
  • Can be decomposed into water and CO2 by microorganisms
  • Chain of 14 monomeric units
  • Can be a good substitute for synthetic plastic
Optional Image Name

By-Product: Water and VFA stream

Our team suggests the water and VFAs by-product stream to be 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 close the water loop in the feces treatment (recycle all the water).

By-Product: Char

The sludge by-product comes out of the 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 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. Our team believes that torrefaction is the most efficient approach to treatment of the sludge-like matter as it holds a couple of benefits:

  • it is biologically stable - doesn’t support biological activity
  • torrefaction allows for production of pyrlytic water – meaning extra water recovery
  • char can be used as a building material
  • char can be used for radiation shielding
  • char can be used as a food substrate
  • char can be used as a carbon/hydrogen storage

      • The torrefaction technology is just emerging and was not yet tested large scale, however a couple of papers (M. Serio et al., 2016), (M. Serio et al., 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.

      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