A Self-Sustaining Solar-Bio-Nano-based Concept to Convert Organic Wastes into Valuable Products
Liao Wei
Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADREC), Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University
The goal of this studyis to integrate solar, biological, and nano technologies into organic waste utilization concept to create a novel self-sustainable and scalable organic waste management system that can significantly reduce the mass of wastes, and simultaneously produce renewable energy and reclaim water. The integratedsystem includes solar heat collection, thermophilic anaerobic digestion, electricity generation, water reclamation, and micro/nano filtration. The experimental results demonstrate that the system can significantly alleviate waste handling issueswith a positive energy balance. The research outcomeselucidate the integrated solar-bio-nano concept of organic waste utilization has a great potential to be applied by a wide range of waste management systems. The use of such novel technology will dramatically change the status of organic waste handling. It will eventually turn the waste from an environmental liability into a public and private asset.
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