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EPA to Award MSU $200K for Sewage Sludge to Biodiesel Research
12 June 2008
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award a $200,000 grant to Mississippi State University (MSU) for research into significantly increasing the yield of biodiesel from the processing of sewage plant sludge.
MSU assistant professors Rafael Hernandez and Todd French, and associate professor Mark Bricka use aerobic, oleaginous (oil-producing) microorganisms to significantly increase the potential biodiesel output from sewage sludge.
Sewage plant sludge contains about 25% lipids. When extracted through a conventional process, the lipids can produce about 2 gallons of biodiesel per 100 pounds of primary sludge and 1 gallon of biodiesel per 100 pounds of secondary sludge. The use of their oleaginous microorganisms can increase the oil yield by a factor of 8, they say.
Hernandez, French and Bricka all work with MSU’s Sustainable Energy Center. Their project also involves a future partnership with a Mississippi municipality to further test the pilot technology.
The grant is part of Agency’s Regionally Applied Research Effort (RARE) program and will be administered through the Agency’s Office of Research and Development. Projects for the program must address an environmental issue within one of EPA’s ten regions and are recommended for funding by that region.
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June 12, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by: arnold . | June 12, 2008 at 05:27 PM
Check your conversions:
1 gal diesel ~ 6 lbs
2 gal diesel = 12 lbs from 100 lbs of primary sludge
8 x 12 lbs = 96 lbs from 100 lbs of primary sludge
Posted by: | June 12, 2008 at 06:33 PM
Really crappy diesel.
Posted by: Cervus | June 12, 2008 at 07:37 PM
I'm happy with my math,
But it relies on the assumtion that the primary and secondary sludges are one and the same the secondary being the primary output.
You are suggesting two independant streams.
Lets read that again.
Better yet I'll toss ya for it.
Posted by: arnold | June 12, 2008 at 07:46 PM
According to the powerpoint presentation reader, If the 8* increase from the second digester,your numbers are better.
I lose
arn
Posted by: | June 13, 2008 at 01:51 AM
This should work well to automatically control supply and demand.
Each day as truckers see the higher price of diesel, they will spontaneously create more biomass.
Posted by: ToppaTom | June 13, 2008 at 06:32 AM
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Gee people, my quick calculation converts this to 11.35L
per 45.36 kilograms.
Simplified
10L per 40KG or 1Kg deisel to 4kg sludge.
If that can be increased eightfold as hoped, thats 2kg of bio for each Kg of input.
Eiher thats very wrong or very impressive.