Bioresource recovery for energy and bio-products

One key area in our work focuses on anaerobic metabolism as a key transformation platform. In its simplest form this is the digestion of wastes to produce biogas, a renewable fuel. By manipulating and modifying this process we can produce a range of bio-products and energy carriers with enhanced characteristics in more efficient and manageable processes.

Bioprocessing alone can go so far, but the gains are far greater if an integrated approach is adopted. The scientific and engineering challenge is in creating effective multidisciplinary teams to develop new processes that can deliver the multiple goals of providing renewable energy and mitigating environmental impacts and climate change while maximising resource recovery.

As a group we have worked on anaerobic digestion for over 20 years, and been pathfinders in new applications for this technology. We led consortium projects looking at agricultural crops for bioenergy production. The research produced useful assessment tools and the models derived are still widely applied. It also shaped our views on which resources should be used in this way, and since that time our research has focused on waste.

The EU-funded VALORGAS project was underpinned by research carried out for Defra and WRAP at a national level to support food waste recovery in the UK. VALORGAS gave a comprehensive evaluation of feedstock collection and digestion approaches across Europe, and developed concepts of energy footprint modelling and integrated process design to maximise biosecurity and minimise emissions.

VALORGAS also initiated a research pathway where we now look at the intermediate breakdown products from waste, for direct recovery or as precursors to higher-value products.  This led to work  on production of organic acids and alcohols and recovery of nutrients funded by EPSRC NIBBs (e.g. BioB3) and Newton Fund Institutional Links with Universidad Nacional de Colombia (FishRefine).

Increasing process efficiency and further engineering/materials advances also made it possible to look at low-temperature anaerobic systems for wastewater treatment. This was followed up in a successful European project (AmbiGAS) and an exchange of researchers with Vietnam funded by the Newton Link programme.

Recently our focus has moved on to include GHG mitigation, through the Industrial Biotechnology  Catalyst programme where our H2AD project brought together an interdisciplinary team from three universities with three industrial partners to develop concepts for 'in-situ' biomethanisation - using anaerobic digestion coupled to electrolytically-produced hydrogen to maximise biomethane production as an energy carrier for industry and transport.

We work closely with academic and industrial partners ranging from the water industry to the renewable energy sector. Our facilities comprise bioreactor laboratories used in the development of novel environmental technologies for water, waste and wastewater treatment and bioenergy production from prototype to commercially viable application, as well as an analytical suite.

Videos : Interview during workshop under Newton Fund Institutional Links project with Colombia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUTgdQPxFsU

Papers :

Tao, B., Zhang, Y., Banks, C., & Heaven, S. Title: Predicting pH rise as a control measure for integration of CO2 biomethanisation with anaerobic digestion. Published in Applied Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115535

Outram, V., & Zhang, Y. Title: Solvent-free membrane extraction of volatile fatty acids from acidogenic fermentation. Published in Bioresource Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.057

Jiang, Y., Zhang, Y., Banks, C., Heaven, S., & Longhurst, P. Title: Investigation of the impact of trace elements on anaerobic volatile fatty acid degradation using a fractional factorial experimental design. Published in Water Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.09.010

Serna-Maza, A., Heaven, S. and Banks, C.J. Title: Ammonia removal in food waste anaerobic digestion using a side-stream stripping process. Published in Bioresource technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.10.093

Xafenias, N., Zhang, Y., & Banks, C. J. Title: Enhanced performance of hexavalent chromium reducing cathodes in the presence of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and lactate. Published in Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/es304606u

Banks, C. J., Zhang, Y., Jiang, Y., & Heaven, S. Title: Trace element requirements for stable food waste digestion at elevated ammonia concentrations. Published in Bioresource Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.10.068

Rashid, S. S., & Liu, Y.. Title: Comparison of life cycle toxicity assessment methods for municipal wastewater treatment with the inclusion of direct emissions of metals, PPCPs and EDCs. Published in Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143849

Liu, Y., Maulidiany, N. D., Zeng, P., & Heo, S. Title: Decolourization of azo, anthraquinone and triphenylmethane dyes using aerobic granules: acclimatization and long-term stability. Published in Chemosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128312

Liu, Y., Nilsen, P., & Maulidiany, N. D. Title: Thermal pretreatment to enhance biogas production of waste aerobic granular sludge with and without calcium phosphate precipitates. Published in Chemosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.104

Liu, Y., Lan, G-H., & Zeng, P. Title: Size-dependent calcium carbonate precipitation induced microbiologically in aerobic granules. Published in Chemical Engineering Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2015.10.020

Liu, Y., & Tay, J-H. Title: Fast formation of aerobic granules by combining strong hydraulic selection pressure with overstressed organic loading rate. Published in Water Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.05.015

Bioenergy and Organic Resources https://borrg.soton.ac.uk

Environmental Biotechnology Network led by Southampton https://ebnet.ac.uk