EnergyGenera*onfromtheDecomposi*onofMicrobially‐GeneratedNitrousOxide

PI:ProfessorBrianCantwellAeronau4csandAstronau4cs

GraduateStudent:YanivSchersonAeronau4csandAstronau4cs

Collabora4onwithProfessorCraigCriddleCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering

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Support: The Woods Institute for the Environment

OverviewofResearch

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Tadiaba4c=1640˚C

N2ODecomposi4on

N2O½O2+N2+82kJ/mol

Source:zakirov3

MEMSN2OThruster

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Small‐ScaleThruster

• 12testsconducted

• Rhonaluminacatalyst

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PerformanceParameters

BedLoading 5kg/m2/sec

c* 71%

Tpreheat 400°C(100WPower)

Tchamber 888°C

Scaled‐UpDevice

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Scaled‐UpDevice

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PerformanceParameter

Pchamber=78psi

BedLoading=5kg/m2/sec

c*=81%

Tint=300°C

Pin=30W

Where can we get N2O tomake ultra-clean energy?

NitrogenFixa4on

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HaberProcess

N2 +3H

2 → 2NH

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NaturalFixa4on

Nitrifica4on

Denitrifica4on N2O

TheProblem:NitrogenWaste

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HaberProcess

CropsFossilFuels

TotalReac4veNitrogen

TheProblem:NitrogenWaste

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BioreactorOverview

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CurrentlybioreactorsminimizeN2OandareinefficientProposetomaximizeN2Oproduc4on,muchmoreefficient

Thiscouldleadtoagroundbreakingtechnologyinwastewatermanagement!

TheSolu4on

13BioreactorN2OThruster

1. Convertreac4veNitrogenwastetoN2Ogas

2. DecomposeN2Otoenrichedair+genpower

Source:Prof.Criddle

CoupledSystem:Bioreactor

AOBaerobic

.66NO2‐+.33NH4

+

O2

½N

2O

NH3 Eff

AOBanaerobic

41kJ

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¼O2+

½N2

ImpactonBioreactorOpera4on

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LocalWastewaterTreatmentPlants

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