National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401

A -- LICENSING AND/OR COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (CRADA) FOR HIGH SOLIDS REACTOR WITH METHANE GENERATION THAT USES PRETREATED SLUDGE AS FEEDSTOCK SOL Synopsis No. TT-112. Contact Chris Rivard 303/384-7631. High solids reactor with methane generation that uses pretreated sludge as feedstock. On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, NREL anticipates negotiating one or more license agreements with U.S. companies interested in commercializing high solids anaerobic digesters for producing methane that utilize pretreated municipal sludge as feedstock. Researchers at NREL have developed a high solids reactor (HSR) for producing methane that is capable of mixing any concentration of solids from 0% to 100%. Consequently, the HSR can handle an optimum concentration of solids while properly mixing the material, nutrients, and microbes. This results in a high rate of gas production, reduces the amount of water needed for the slurry, lessens the amount of effluent water that must be treated, and simplifies the disposal of effluent solids. (Actually, the solids that are left over can be used as compost or fertilizer.) These enable the HSR to be smaller than other fermentation reactors and thus less expensive to own and operate. The NREL reactor does this through a unique design that uses a cylindrical vessel with horizontal rather than a vertical axis. Thus, the HSR adequately mixes any slurry concentration without excessive shear, without overheating parts of the material, and without leaving some of the material stagnant. In addition, a method has been identified that enhances bioprocessing of microbial sludges so as to create the bulk reducton of the sludge, as well as reduce pollution potential and the pathogen load of the sludge. The latter then serves as high solids feedstock as the above anaerobic digester. Contact Ken Touryan 303-275-3009 or Chris Rivard 303-384-7631. (104)

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