Integrated Bio-Digestion Facility

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing organic waste material are provided. These methods and systems include integrating an anaerobic bio-digester and nutrient recovery module with a bio-production facility, which can locally provide feedstock for the bio-production facility, and can locally provide organic material for the anaerobic bio-digester. Methods and systems for integrating an anaerobic bio-digester with a gas cleaner are also provided, which can recover nutrients while cleaning the biogas produced by the anaerobic bio-digester.

1 . An integrated, modular facility for processing organic waste, the facility comprising:
 (1) an anaerobic bio-digester module, wherein the anaerobic bio-digester module is configured to digest the organic waste, wherein the digestion of the organic waste produces biogas and biodigestate;   (2) a nutrient recovery module, wherein the nutrient recovery module is configured to separate a liquid separate from the biodigestate; and   (3) an enclosed bio-production module, wherein the enclosed bio-production module is configured to biologically convert a feedstock and the liquid separate from the nutrient recovery module to an organic bio-product.   
     
     
         2 . The facility of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosed bio-production module comprises an algal incubator module, and wherein the bio-product comprises lipids. 
     
     
         3 . The facility of  claim 2 , wherein the algal incubator module is further configured to produce algal products as a by-product, and the anaerobic biodigester module is further configured to digest the algal products, wherein the digestion of the algal products produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         4 . The facility of  claim 1 , wherein the bio-production module is a bio-diesel production facility and the bio-product comprises bio-diesel fatty acids, wherein the bio-diesel production facility comprises:
 (1) an algal incubator configured to biologically convert the feedstock into lipids; and   (2) a bio-diesel plant, wherein the biodiesel plant is configured to convert the lipids into bio-diesel fatty acids.   
     
     
         5 . The facility of  claim 4 , wherein the bio-diesel plant is further configured to produce glycerol as a by-product, and the anaerobic biodigester module is further configured to digest the glycerol, wherein the digestion of the glycerol produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         6 . The facility of  claim 1 , wherein the bio-production module is a fermentation module and wherein the bio-product comprises ethanol. 
     
     
         7 . The facility of  claim 6 , wherein the fermentation module is further configured to produce thin stillage and wet distiller's grains as by-products, and the anaerobic bio-digester module is further configured to digest at least one of the thin stillage and wet distiller's grains, wherein the digestion of the thin stillage and wet distiller's grains produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         8 . The facility of  claim 1 , further comprising an organic waste generator module, wherein organic waste is produced. 
     
     
         9 . The facility of  claim 8 , wherein the organic waste generator module comprises a cattle feedlot module, wherein the cattle feedlot module is configured to receive a feed and produces organic waste comprising manure. 
     
     
         10 . The facility of  claim 8 , wherein the organic waste comprises animal offal. 
     
     
         11 . The facility of  claim 1 , further comprising an SRM module, wherein the SRM module is configured to receive animal offal, neutralize at least one pathogen contained within the animal offal, and produce disinfected animal offal, and wherein the organic waste comprises the disinfected animal offal. 
     
     
         12 . The facility of  claim 1 , wherein the organic waste comprises embedded hard particulates, the facility further comprising a waste processing module, wherein the waste processing module receives the organic waste, removes the embedded hard particulates, and dilutes the organic waste with a diluent. 
     
     
         13 . The facility of  claim 12 , wherein the diluent comprises biodigestate. 
     
     
         14 . The facility of  claim 12 , wherein the waste processing module comprises a waste disruptor and a segregator, and wherein the waste disruptor disrupts the organic waste to release at least one of the disrupted hard particulates, and the segregator segregates the released hard particulates before the organic waste is diluted with a diluent. 
     
     
         15 . The facility of  claim 1 , further comprising a gas cleaner module, wherein the gas cleaner module is configured to remove contaminants from the biogas to produce cleaned biogas. 
     
     
         16 . The facility of  claim 15 , wherein the gas cleaner module is configured to recover at least one nutrient from the biogas. 
     
     
         17 . The facility of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one nutrient comprises ammonia. 
     
     
         18 . The facility of  claim 15 , wherein the cleaned biogas is transferred to a natural gas transmission network. 
     
     
         19 . The facility of  claim 15 , further comprising a co-generator module, wherein the cogenerator module is configured to combust a fuel to produce heat and electricity, wherein the fuel comprises cleaned biogas. 
     
     
         20 . The facility of  claim 19 , wherein the fuel comprises biogas. 
     
     
         21 . The facility of  claim 19  wherein the electricity is transferred to an electric power transmission network. 
     
     
         22 . The facility of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the heat and the electricity are transferred to the anaerobic bio-digester module. 
     
     
         23 . The facility of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system in communication with all of the modules, wherein the control system is configured to monitor the facility and to adjust operating characteristics of the facility. 
     
     
         24 - 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A method for processing organic waste in an integrated, modular facility comprising:
 (1) digesting the organic waste in an anaerobic bio-digester module to produce biogas and biodigestate;   (2) separating a liquid separate from the biodigestate in a nutrient recovery module; and,   (3) biologically converting a feedstock and the liquid separate from the nutrient recovery module to an organic bio-product in an enclosed bio-production module.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the biologically converting step comprises growing algae with the feedstock, the enclosed bio-production module comprises an algal incubator module, and wherein the bio-product comprises lipids. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the biologically converting step further comprises producing algal products as a by-product, and the anaerobic bio-digester module is further configured to digest the algal products, wherein the digestion of the algal products produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the biologically converting step comprises:
 (1) growing algae with the feedstock in an algal incubator to produce lipids; and   (2) transesterifying the lipids in a biodiesel plant to produce bio-diesel fatty acids, wherein the enclosed bio-production module comprises the algal incubator and the bio-diesel plant, and wherein the bio-product comprises bio-diesel fatty acids.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the biologically converting step further comprises producing glycerol as a by-product, and the anaerobic bio-digester module is further configured to digest the glycerol, wherein the digestion of the glycerol produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the biologically converting step comprises fermenting the feedstock, the enclosed bio-production module comprises a fermentation facility and wherein the bio-product comprises ethanol. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the biologically converting step further comprises producing thin stillage and wet distiller's grains as by-products, and the anaerobic bio-digester module is further configured to digest at least one of the thin stillage and wet distiller's grains, wherein the digestion of the thin stillage and wet distiller's grains produces biogas and biodigestate. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising producing organic waste in an organic waste generator module. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the producing organic waste step comprises producing organic waste in a cattle feedlot module, wherein the cattle feedlot module is configured to receive a feed and produces organic waste comprising manure. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the organic waste further comprises animal offal. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 (1) neutralizing at least one pathogen contained within animal offal in an SRM module; and   (2) producing disinfected animal offal, wherein the organic waste comprises the disinfected animal offal.   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the organic waste comprises embedded hard particulates, the method further comprising:
 (1) removing the embedded hard particulates in a waste processing module; and   (2) diluting the organic waste with a diluent in the waste processing module.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the diluent comprises biodigestate. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the waste processing module comprises a waste disruptor and a segregator, and wherein the method further comprises:
 (1) disrupting the organic waste in the waste disruptor to release at least one of the disrupted hard particulates; and   (2) segregating the released hard particulates with the segregator before the organic waste is diluted with a diluent.   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising removing contaminants from the biogas in a gas cleaner module to produce cleaned biogas. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising recovering at least one nutrient from the biogas in the gas cleaner module. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein the at least one nutrient comprises ammonia. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising transferring the cleaned biogas to a natural gas transmission network. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising combusting a fuel in a co-generator module to produce heat and electricity, wherein the fuel comprises cleaned biogas. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the fuel comprises biogas. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising transferring the electricity to an electric power transmission network. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising transferring at least one of the heat and the electricity to the anaerobic bio-digester module. 
     
     
         61 - 75 . (canceled)