| abstract |
A process for fermenting and recycling food waste that is fully enclosed, eliminating noxious odors, and therefore installable in a wide variety of urban settings at scale. Generally the steps of the process include intake, shredding and grinding, inoculation and acceleration, heterolactic fermentation, separation of solids and liquids, drying and distillation, and post-processing of liquid and solid byproducts. The result of the process includes useful goods such as nutrient-rich soil fertilizer, household cleaning agent, energy in the form of current or hydrogen, and treated water. The process is energy efficient and self-contained, resulting in the processing of food waste within 7 days, thus dramatically reducing the time of traditional fermentation processes to produce desired byproducts. |