Anaerobic reactor and corresponding method for digesting organic material
US7824906B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 2007 |
| Grant date | Nov 2, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 11, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E50/30
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention is an anaerobic reactor and preferably a vertically oriented plug flow anaerobic reactor for producing methane from various organic materials. The organic materials preferably have a high organic content. The reactor includes cutting members for cutting bridged or agglomerated material within the reactor. The present invention also includes a process for producing methane from an organic feed stock by continuously charging an organic material into the top portion of a vertically oriented vessel and rotating one or more cutting members at a sufficiently slow rate so that the cutting members cut through bridged or agglomerated material but do not substantially mix contents within the reactor, anaerobically digesting the organic material under mesophilic or thermophilic conditions to produce methane while allowing the organic material to propagate downward through the vessel in a plug flow-like manner and collecting methane gas produced from the anaerobic digestion of the organic material.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.