US 12,404,199 B2
Modular anaerobic digestion point-of-waste renewable energy apparatus and method
Pete Sload, Washington, VA (US); Erik Overby, Purcellville, VA (US); Benjamin Frank, Germantown, MD (US); Kevin Lauer, Front Royal, VA (US); and Eric Walberg, Brookfield, CT (US)
Assigned to ITility, L.L.C., Chantilly, VA (US)
Filed by ITility, L.L.C., Chantilly, VA (US)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/863,868.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/221,328, filed on Jul. 13, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0016345 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. C02F 11/04 (2006.01); B01D 53/02 (2006.01); B01D 53/26 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/06 (2006.01); C12M 1/107 (2006.01); C12M 3/00 (2006.01); C12P 5/02 (2006.01); C02F 101/10 (2006.01); C02F 101/16 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 11/04 (2013.01) [B01D 53/02 (2013.01); B01D 53/26 (2013.01); C12M 21/04 (2013.01); C12M 23/44 (2013.01); C12M 23/58 (2013.01); C12M 27/02 (2013.01); C12M 47/18 (2013.01); C12P 5/023 (2013.01); B01D 2253/102 (2013.01); B01D 2257/304 (2013.01); C02F 2101/105 (2013.01); C02F 2101/16 (2013.01); C02F 2201/007 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular anaerobic digestion point-of-waste to renewable energy system for converting an organic feedstock material into a biogas and a digestate which digestate is separated into solid and liquid components by dewatering (“System”) comprising
a leaching bed adapted to receive the organic feedstock material and water to remove inhibitory nutrients;
a mixing tank adapted to receive from the leaching bed a leached feedstock;
a liquids tank adapted to provide liquids to the mixing tank;
a means for macerating the leached feedstock and the liquids in the mixing tank into a feedstock slurry;
an anaerobic digester reactor wherein the feedstock slurry is pumped from the mixing tank into the anaerobic digester reactor and wherein anaerobic digestion takes place to convert the feedstock slurry into the biogas and the digestate;
a precipitation tank and a stripping tank wherein a portion of the feedstock slurry in the anaerobic digestion reactor is pumped first into the precipitation tank and then into the stripping tank, the precipitation tank and the stripping tank adapted to clean the feedstock slurry of at least ammonia and phosphorus, wherein the cleaned feedstock slurry is pumped back into the anaerobic digester reactor;
a hydrogen sulfide scrubber adapted to receive the biogas wherein the hydrogen sulfide scrubber removes hydrogen sulfide from the biogas;
a water remover tank adapted to receive the biogas wherein water is removed from the biogas;
a gas bladder adapted to receive the biogas from the hydrogen sulfide scrubber wherein the biogas is stored for subsequent use;
a dewaterer adapted to receive the digestate from the anaerobic digester reactor wherein the digestate is dewatered for subsequent use; and
wherein the system is adapted to be located at the point-of-waste and is adapted to be scaled to handle the volume of organic material by alternating the size or number of the components thereof.