Aqua-Sphere®

Waste Regeneration

Anaerobic digestion ,or methane recovery, of solid waste is becoming a popular practice for waste elimination and production of a bio-fuel. Methane has long been a by-product of solid waste disposal areas, where waste degrades over time and produces large quantities of methane, or “bio-gas”. With the rapid escalation of alternative energy exploration and usage, methane has been used to run many different types of motors, generators, and other machinery. As methane is produced from all kinds of waste, it is a natural process that should be utilized for energy, rather than allowed to go into the atmosphere.

The Aqua Biologics system uses several different stages to produce a higher quality product. Fish waste is deposited into a large closed container, or the digester. Anaerobic bacteria digest the waste over a period of several weeks, and produce bio-gas. The bio-gas consists of methane (50-80%), carbon dioxide (20-50%), and trace levels of other gases such as hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide. These other gases, particularly the hydrogen sulfide, are filtered out in a separate substrate-filled chamber that the gas passes through. The pressurized bio-gas then passes into a storage vessel with a liquid fill indicator.

The digested waste or “sludge” drawn from the digester is very rich in key plant nutrients including ammonia, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements. This waste is then transferred to our aquaponic system to grow organic produce (see Aquaponics). The process is fully integrated, cost effective, and can remediate large quantities of waste.

Our research has indicated that anaerobic digestion is an effective process to transform fish wastes into two useable components, fuel and fertilizers. ABI is also exploring methods of palletizing the sludge or effluent from the digester to sell as a valuable fertilizer for golf courses and turf grass growers.