Recipient Organization
ENVERGEX LLC
10 PODUNK RD
STURBRIDGE,MA 015661046
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The proposed project addresses three key challenges facing the agriculture sector: 1) CO2 emissions, 2) waste disposal/minimization, and 3) degrading soil health.Biomass processing releases significant CO2 to the atmosphere. One example is the manufacturing of bio-ethanol. CO2 emissions result from fermentation and combustion of fuels for steam production. While the use of biomass is in itself mostly carbon neutral, sequestering the CO2 emission from such processes would be very desirable (net -negative CO2).Both the energy and agriculture sectors produce large quantities of residues that present environmental challenges but also an economic opportunity. Some of the residues contain alkaline materials that would be useful for CO2 capture.Degrading soil quality is an issue globally. About 80% of the total global carbon is tied up in soils. Due to degradation, soils today in many parts of the world have significantly reduced soil carbon, resulting in more atmospheric CO2.We will use laboratory research to test and improve the carbonation ability of biomass-derived and other alkaline materials so that CO2 emissions from biomass processing facilities can be economically captured. We will characterize the products of CO2 capture as potential soil amendment materials for increasing soil carbon and improving soil health. We will evaluate these products for their ability to adsorb and retain organic materials, moisture and other nutrients in the soil so that they are not lost via leaching or via other mechanisms.If successful, we will provide an economically viable process to upgrade biomass conversion wastes (alkaline residues) by capturing CO2 emissions and generate a value-added soil amendment product. The proposed process is applicable to small scale, distributed sources of CO2 that are typical of agricultural manufacturing, as it provides a low cost and viable method for CO2 sequestration where traditional capture, compression and geologic storage is not economically viable or geographically available. We will facilitate additional revenue sources for agri-products, such as by enabling manufacturing of low carbon fuels (e.g. ethanol), carbon sequestration tax credits, and carbon offsets. The end result is net-negative carbon emissions for biomass processing, significant reduction in waste issues for biomass/energy sectors, and a unique and multi-benefit soil amendment product to increase soil carbon and improve soil health.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
30%
Developmental
70%
Goals / Objectives
One of the major goals of the project is to enable carbon-negative biomass utilization by developing an economically viable process to capture CO2 emissions from biomass processing via accelerated CO2 mineralization of alkaline materials, eliminating the need for geologic CO2 disposal. A second major goal is to increase soil carbon and improve soil health via the use of the mineralized products from the CO2 capture step as soil amendments.
Project Methods
The project in Phase I will involve laboratory research to demonstrate proof-of-concept of our novel mineral carbonation process. We will perform testing to determine performance and the optimum operating window and will extensively characterize resulting products to determine properties and value for end-use markets as soil amendments. Phase I will include laboratory testing to validate the value of our materials for soil amendment and soil carbon increase application, including: 1) confirmation of in-situ (within soil) CO2 capture, 2) quantification of the moisture and inorganic plant nutrient sorption affinity, and 3) characterization of sorption of various organic plant decomposition products. At the completion of Phase I, we will have demonstrated the valuable characteristics of our products for increasing soil carbon and improving soil health.If the project is successfully transitioned to Phase II, it will involve scale up, with the construction and extensive testing of a fully-integrated pilot-scale test system for CO2 capture via mineral carbonation. Having a larger test system in Phase II will also generate more product materials and will allow more detailed investigation of the soil amendment properties of our products, including greenhouse experiments and potentially small-scale field experiments. A process model and techno-economic assessment and market study will also be conducted in Phase II. We will then engage with industry supporters and potential end-users of our products to prepare for next stages of development and commercial deployment.