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Author Topic: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel  (Read 2276 times)

Offline BrewingRover

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MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« on: February 13, 2011, 03:49:58 pm »
Pretty cool, a method of processing spent grains into methane. I wonder how long before the household sized unit will be available?

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/02/13/mit_grads_invention_turns_brewery_waste_to_fuel/?page=full
It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

Offline punatic

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2011, 06:24:32 pm »
Anaerobic digesters have been used for wastewater sludge digestion for decades.  Much of the methane produced is used to heat the digestion process, particularly in cold climates like Vermont.

I suspect the 200 cfm is the maximum biogas output rating, not the nominal output.  It would be interesting to know what percentage of the biogas is methane, and how they dispose of the waste sludge generated by the digester.

You'd have to brew a lot to make a home model feasible.
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Offline oscarvan

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2011, 07:45:32 pm »
Wait, you mean you could make fuel from the spent grains and use that to make more beer...... it could brew itself! 8)

(I know, the numbers won't, and can't work that way, but the thought is interesting......)

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Offline punatic

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2011, 07:52:17 pm »
Wait, you mean you could make fuel from the spent grains and use that to make more beer...... it could brew itself! 8)

(I know, the numbers won't, and can't work that way, but the thought is interesting......)



A perpetual motion/brewing machine!  I like the way you think.  :)
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Offline BrewingRover

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2011, 05:21:17 am »
You'd have to brew a lot to make a home model feasible.
I forgot one of these ;)
It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2011, 09:32:03 am »
Anaerobic digesters have been used for wastewater sludge digestion for decades.  Much of the methane produced is used to heat the digestion process, particularly in cold climates like Vermont.

I suspect the 200 cfm is the maximum biogas output rating, not the nominal output.  It would be interesting to know what percentage of the biogas is methane, and how they dispose of the waste sludge generated by the digester.

You'd have to brew a lot to make a home model feasible.


The 'Waste Sludge' is some awesome fertilizer! the problem with most home digesters is that you are digesting human waste (to put it delicatly) which is not considered a good thing to put on your food crops (Fine for flowers though!) if you were exclusivly digesting grains, other none p**py waste you could totaly put it on your vegatable garden and it would be greatly appreciated. At the temps the digester reaches no pathogens can survive so it's not really a worry even with 'human waste' it's just distasteful.
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Offline punatic

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2011, 09:39:46 am »
Domestic wastewater digester sludge is often used as fertilizer.  It is not allowed to be used on root vegetable crops though.
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Offline rabid_dingo

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Re: MIT grad's invention turns brewery waste to fuel
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2011, 06:20:33 pm »
That is awesome. It is good to see him succeed. I met Eric Fitch at Boston Brewing Co's AHA rally a few years ago. He had been talking to Jim Koch about installing one there. Not sure how that went or how it's going.
Ruben * Colorado :)