“Starving” bacteria to double energy extraction from sewage

Global efforts to extract energy from sewage in forms such as heat, biogas and even electricity may get a boost thanks to the work of a team of biochemists and microbiologists from Ghent University in Belgium, who are collaborating on a pilot project with DC Water in Washington DC.

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CrazyNeutrino said:

“Starving” bacteria to double energy extraction from sewage

Global efforts to extract energy from sewage in forms such as heat, biogas and even electricity may get a boost thanks to the work of a team of biochemists and microbiologists from Ghent University in Belgium, who are collaborating on a pilot project with DC Water in Washington DC.

More…

Bacteria are used in two places in the sewage treatment plants already.

The first is anaerobic digestion, which is done in the dark produces the methane gas used to power the treatment plant.
The second is aerobic digestion, where air is bubbled through an open-topped tank to keep it stirred, the bacteria are black and thick in the water. Then the bacteria settle out in clarifiers leaving clear water.

What is suggested in the OP link is a modification of the aerobic digestion process that absorbs more carbon from the wastewater.

I was involved in the growth of algae for treatment of wastewater, but algae get all their carbon from carbon dioxide in the air so are useless for removing carbon from the wastewater itself.

The technique of stressing micro-organisms to get them to do what you want has been seen before in the production of vitamin B chemicals. The principle is to feed them lots in order to get them to multiply, then stress them to get them to make the product you want. You can buy such Vitamin supplements in the chemist shop.

mollwollfumble said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

“Starving” bacteria to double energy extraction from sewage

Global efforts to extract energy from sewage in forms such as heat, biogas and even electricity may get a boost thanks to the work of a team of biochemists and microbiologists from Ghent University in Belgium, who are collaborating on a pilot project with DC Water in Washington DC.

More…

So there is some validity to the saying “Eat shit and die”
Bacteria are used in two places in the sewage treatment plants already.

The first is anaerobic digestion, which is done in the dark produces the methane gas used to power the treatment plant.
The second is aerobic digestion, where air is bubbled through an open-topped tank to keep it stirred, the bacteria are black and thick in the water. Then the bacteria settle out in clarifiers leaving clear water.

What is suggested in the OP link is a modification of the aerobic digestion process that absorbs more carbon from the wastewater.

I was involved in the growth of algae for treatment of wastewater, but algae get all their carbon from carbon dioxide in the air so are useless for removing carbon from the wastewater itself.

The technique of stressing micro-organisms to get them to do what you want has been seen before in the production of vitamin B chemicals. The principle is to feed them lots in order to get them to multiply, then stress them to get them to make the product you want. You can buy such Vitamin supplements in the chemist shop.

> So there is some validity to the saying “Eat shit and die”

I was hoping that someone would pick up on my misleading connection between vitamin B supplements in the chemist shop, and sewage-eating bacteria.

The only connection is stressed microorganisms. They don’t really make vitamin supplements from sewage.