US 11,692,163 B2
Method for production of a soil amendment
Robert Chisholm, McKinney, TX (US); Michael LaMontagne, Denton, TX (US); Robert N. Ames, Pilot Point, TX (US); David P. Lanciault, Plano, TX (US); and John R. Coyne, Bridgewater, CT (US)
Assigned to Tenfold Technologies, LLC, Pilot Point, TX (US)
Filed by Tenfold Technologies, LLC, Pilot Point, TX (US)
Filed on May 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/743,276.
Application 17/743,276 is a continuation of application No. 13/844,544, filed on Mar. 15, 2013.
Application 13/844,544 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2012/060010, filed on Oct. 12, 2012.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/581,679, filed on Dec. 30, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/627,633, filed on Oct. 13, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2022/0340861 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. C12P 39/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/36 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/12 (2006.01); C12P 7/40 (2006.01); C12P 5/02 (2006.01); C12P 3/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/107 (2006.01); C05F 17/20 (2020.01); C05F 17/50 (2020.01); C12N 1/20 (2006.01)
CPC C12M 41/48 (2013.01) [C05F 17/20 (2020.01); C05F 17/50 (2020.01); C12M 21/04 (2013.01); C12M 23/58 (2013.01); C12M 25/18 (2013.01); C12M 29/02 (2013.01); C12M 47/16 (2013.01); C12N 1/20 (2013.01); C12P 3/00 (2013.01); C12P 5/023 (2013.01); C12P 7/40 (2013.01); C12P 39/00 (2013.01); Y02E 50/30 (2013.01); Y02P 20/145 (2015.11); Y02W 10/37 (2015.05); Y02W 30/40 (2015.05)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for processing an organic feedstock into a soil amendment final product having microbial consortiums for promoting growth or increasing biomass of a plant, the method comprising:
adding the organic feedstock to a first phase space of a bioreactor system to form a working fluid, wherein the feedstock is added to the bioreactor system at a feed rate of about 0.001 to 0.1 pounds of feedstock per cubic foot of a total working capacity of the bioreactor system per day and movement of the working fluid through the bioreactor system is hydraulically balanced;
producing methane and reducing sulfate in the first phase space wherein microbes having methanogen and sulfur-reducing metabolisms, as determined by sequences of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments, have dominance in the first phase space;
passing the working fluid from the first phase space to a second phase space of the bioreactor system, wherein microbes having nitrification and denitrification metabolisms, as determined by sequences of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments, have dominance in the second phase space;
passing working fluid from the second phase space to a third phase space of the bioreactor system, wherein the third phase space includes packed bed reactors and each packed bed reactor includes a fixed media that provides a platform for anchoring biofilm;
oxidizing methane to carbon dioxide and oxidizing ammonium to nitrate and nitrite in the third phase space, wherein microbes having nitrification and methanotroph metabolisms. as determined by sequences of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments, have dominance in the third phase space;
passing the working fluid from the third phase space to a fourth phase space of the bioreactor system, wherein microbes having nitrification and denitrification metabolisms, as determined by sequences of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments have dominance in the fourth phase space; and
passing the working fluid through an outlet from the fourth phase space to a storage tank or for further processing to produce the final product, wherein the working fluid is maintained at a temperature of 29° C. to 39° C. in the first phase space, the second phase space, the third phase space and the fourth phase space.