Global energy demands combined with environmental restrictions are fueling a
move to alternative energy sources. Biofuels are formed from biomass; the MixAlco
process is one such method. In this work, food scraps are explored as a potential
feedstock to the MixAlco process. Batch fermentation with various temperatures,
buffers, and pH control methods elucidated the behavior of food scraps during
fermentation. The pH and reactor configuration were limiting factors when maximizing
production. A fermentor was developed and tested with constant pH control. This
resulted in elevated concentration (100 g/L) and selectivity (82%) of desired products.
The fermentation resulted in elevated concentrations, but low conversion of
solids. The undigested material may serve as a nutrient source for fermenting
lignocellulosic feedstocks. Combining various nutrient sources with lignocellulose, such
as bagasse, resulted in additional production and further conversion. Multiple nutrient
sources were tested resulting in total acid concentration ranging from 20.2 to 34.5 g/L.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2031 |
| Date | 15 May 2009 |
| Creators | Coleman Jr., Stanley Albert |
| Contributors | Holtzapple, Mark |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis, text |
| Format | electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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