| abstract |
A bioreactor designed to produce N 2 O from organic nitrogen and/or reactive nitrogen in waste is coupled to a hardware reactor device in which the N 2 O is consumed in a gas phase chemical reaction, e.g., catalytic decomposition to form oxygen and nitrogen gas. n Heat from the exothermic reaction may be used to generate power. The N 2 O may alternatively be used as an oxidant or co-oxidant in a combustion reaction, e.g., in the combustion of methane. The bioreactor may have various designs including a two-stage bioreactor, a hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor, or a sequencing batch reactor. The bioreactor may involve Fe(II)-mediated reduction of nitrite to nitrous oxide. |