BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM EXCREMENT

This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 62/545,064 filed Aug. 14, 2017; 62/559,777 filed Sep. 18, 2017; and 62/567,390 filed Oct. 3, 2017, each is incorporated herein by reference.

The inventions disclosed herein are directed to the production of biogas from excrement, particularly livestock generated excrement, using an anaerobic digestion process.

Excrement can be converted to biogas. Biogas is a gaseous fuel produced by fermentation of organic matter and generally contains methane and carbon dioxide, among other by-products of the fermentation process. The more biogas that can be economically generated from excrement, the more economical the excrement disposal process.

Large amounts of excrement are generated in the production of farm animals (or domestic animals, or livestock). For example, swine (or hog) production generates large amounts of excrement. Excrement must be disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

One such disposal process may be the anaerobic digestion of the excrement in which biogas, containing methane, is produced. Methane is a commodity fuel with economic value. The proceeds from the sale of the methane can be used to reduce the cost of the disposal.

Accordingly, there is a need for the economic production of methane by anaerobic digestion from excrement.

A method for producing biogas includes: anaerobically digesting excrement with an additive, the additive including a pre-pupal stage of an insect from the scientific classification superfamily of Stratiomyoidea; and collecting the biogas. A method for producing an additive for anaerobic digestion of excrement includes: hatching eggs of an insect from the scientific classification superfamily of Stratiomyoidea in excrement; growing insect larvae by feeding with additional excrement; harvesting pre-pupal insect larvae; and grinding the pre-pupal larvae. An apparatus for producing an additive for anaerobic digestion of excrement includes: a tray having pivot along one lateral side and an upwardly sloping wall terminating with a lip along a lateral side opposite the pivot; a flume adjacent the lip; and a conveyor adjacent the pivot.

In general, one invention is directed to a method for producing biogas by the steps of: anaerobically digesting (or anaerobic co-digestion) excrement with an additive; and collecting the biogas. The additive may include a pre-pupal stage of an insect from the scientific classification superfamily of Stratiomyoidea.

Biogas, as used herein, refers to a gaseous fuel produced by anaerobic digestion of organic matter and generally contains methane and carbon dioxide, among other by-products of the fermentation process. See: Wikipedia, Biogas, incorporated herein by reference.

Anaerobic digestion, as used herein, refers to processes where biodegradable materials are broken down, in the absence of oxygen, to produce, among other things, biogas. See: Wikipedia, Anaerobic digestion, incorporated herein by reference.

Excrement, as used herein, refers any excrement from any source, for example, animal or livestock (e.g., pig, cow, goat, sheep, chicken, turkey), and human. See: Wikipedia, Feces, and Wikipedia, Livestock, both incorporated herein by reference.

The additive is used to facilitate biogas production. The additive includes a pre-pupal (larva) stage of an insect from the scientific classification superfamily of Stratiomyoidea. The insect may be of the family of Stratiomyoidea. The insect may be of the subfamily Hermetiinae. The insect may be of the genus Hermetia. In one embodiment, the insect may be Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly or BSF larvae or BSFL). See Wikipedia, Hermetia illucens, and Wikipedia, Holometabolism, both incorporated herein by reference. The additive may be ground or pureed. The additive may further include frass. The frass may be sourced from the insect's excrement generated during the insect's larvae growth. The additive, when frass is included, may have an insect:frass ratio (by weight) of 1:0-3.0. In another embodiment, this ratio may be 1:0.5-2.0. In yet, another embodiment, this ratio may be 1:1.0-2.0. And, in another embodiment, this ratio may be 1:1.6. Production of the additive is discussed below.

Collection of the biogas from the digestion process may be performed in any conventional manner. The collected biogas may be purified to methane, to enhance value, in any conventional manner.

Generally, digestion may be conducted in a closed tank 10 with agitation 12, see FIG. 1. Tank 10 may include, for example: various inlets for charging excrement 14, additive 16, and water 18; various outlets for discharge of biogas 20 and sludge 22, sampling ports 24, and access ports 26. The charge (or biomass) is maintained, during digestion, at any temperature that facilitates digestion, for example 39±2° C. The tank may be charged and maintained during digestion, with excrement diluted to, in one embodiment, less than 15% water, in another embodiment in a range of 5-15% water, in another embodiment in a range of 12-14% water, in another 13.7% water, and all subsets thereof. During digestion, the biomass is reloaded, see FIGS. 4 (volume) and 5 (weight), at a rate of 1-7% by volume of the initial mass. In one embodiment, the reload may be in the range of 2-6%, and in another embodiment, in the range of 4-6%, and another, 6%. The reloaded material includes excrement (E) and additive (A) in ratios from 1-2:1-2 (E:A).

Generally, in one embodiment, biogas production, see FIGS. 4 and 5, may be greater than 1 L/Ld per working volume of the digester. In another embodiment, biogas production may be greater than 2 L/Ld. In yet another embodiment, biogas production may be greater than 3 L/Ld. In still another embodiment, biogas production may be in a range of 1-6 L/Ld.

The additive may be produced by the method of: hatching eggs of the insect (discussed above) from the scientific classification superfamily of Stratiomyoidea in excrement; growing larvae of the insect by feeding with additional excrement; harvesting pre-pupal larvae of the insect; and particle size reduction, (e.g., grinding) the pre-pupal larvae. Additionally, grinding may include pureeing the pre-pupal larvae. The pre-pupal larvae may also include frass. Any frass not used in the additive may be collected and used as, for example, fertilizer.

The additive may be producing in an apparatus 100, see FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, including: a tray 102; a flume 120; and a conveyor 130.

Tray 102 may have a pivot 104 along one lateral side 106 and an upwardly sloping wall 108 terminating with a lip 110 along a lateral side 112 opposite the pivot 104. Tray 102 may be compartmentalized. The other walls of the tray 102 may be generally vertical (it is believed that escaping larvae will not or cannot scale the vertical walls and therefore exit via the sloped wall). The tray 102 may be movable between a horizontal position (shown in solid lines) and a generally vertical position (shown in phantom).

The flume 120 may be used to capture pre-pupal larvae exiting the tray 102 via the sloped wall 108. Flume 120 may be positioned adjacent to and below lip 110. Flume 120 may have a stream of water running therethrough to flush the captured larvae away for particle size reduction (e.g., grinding, pureeing, and/or homogenizing).

Conveyor 130 is used for removal of frass from the trays 102. Conveyor 130 is positioned adjacent to and below the pivoted side 106 of tray 102.

Additionally, apparatus 100 may include an excrement feeding system 140 for distribution of excrement during the growth of the larvae and grow lamps 150.

In use, the tray is filled with excrement, eggs from the insect are placed in the excrement, larvae hatched from the eggs grow in the excrement, excrement is added during growth (larvae may consume up to seven times their weight per day in excrement during larvae growth), the pre-pupal stage larvae exit the tray via the sloped wall and are captured in the flume, and frass from the growing larvae is dumped onto the conveyor.

The invention may be further illustrated with reference to the following examples.

In the following bench-scale examples, various mixtures of swine manure (SM) and additive (A; BSFL) are co-digested diluted to about 13.7%, with semi-continuous loading (loading every two days), in glass jar digesters (1.893 L with a 1.375 L working volume) with a 21 day hydraulic retention time (HRT) at a temperature of 39±2° C. and with mixing (swirling digester twice a day) to characterize biogas production at various loading rates (additions of volatile solids (VS or SM) and mixing ratios (SM:A). The moisture content of the swine manure averaged 83.6% and the moisture content of the additive averaged 75.7%. FIG. 3 illustrates the pH variation per days during co-digestion of swine manure (SM) and additive (A) at various loading rates and mixing ratios. FIG. 4 illustrates biogas production per day based on volumetric loading rate during co-digestion of swine manure (SM) and additive (A) at various loading rates and mixing ratios. FIG. 5 illustrates biogas production per day based on diluted feedstock loading rate during co-digestion of swine manure (M), additive (A), and water (W) at various loading rates and mixing ratios. In FIGS. 4 and 5, methane concentration was in the range of 73-79%.

The present invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and the essential attributes thereof, and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.