Fuel Through Fermentation

May-28-19 A microbial cocktail that helps produce fuel through fermentation could offer a use for food waste as well as a source of energy.

Although attempts have been made to capture the methane emitted by decomposing food, the system is not cost-effective. As a better solution, a team from the University of Waterloo circulated a cocktail made up of microorganisms and nutrients (leachate) through a container of food waste. This infusion of the leachate stimulated biodegradation while producing carboxylate—a possible crude oil substitute. According to the team, the technology is both more productive and more affordable than current options, and can be scaled up or down as needed.

"Even small towns could have their own systems," said Waterloo professor Hyung-Sool Lee. "Food waste collected in green bin programs wouldn't have to be transported long distances to enormous, centralized facilities."

Image - Wikipedia Commons, Food Scraps

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[RDMAG.COM]
[UWATERLOO.CA]

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