TCS and its subcontractors, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) Plasma Applications Research Facility (PARF) and Clark Atlanta University, a historically black university, will investigate the technical and economic boundaries of using plasma-arc torch technology to convert biomass waste water into fuel for a Biomass Waste Water Generator (BWWG). This will be accomplished by first conducting a plasma-arc torch experiment, which will pryolize biomass waste water into hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Second, the proposed Phase I effort will entail the preliminary design of a BWWG system that preprocesses the waste prior to the plasma-arc torch; uses the H2 and CO to power a fuel cell; and extracts drinking water. These efforts will lay the foundation for the detailed design and testing of the integrated BWWG system in Phase II. The U.S. Air Force currently is looking into all options of reducing its logistical footprint. Solid oxide or molten carbonate fuel cells may possess the capability to be fueled by biomass, and to supply a drinking quality water stream. This revolutionary technology holds the potential to reduce biomass waste, to produce drinking water, and to supply a source of energy. For the military, it could open more options for fuel cells in remote rural locations with barren landscapes. Domestically, it potentially could turn urban sewage processing plants into power plants.
Keywords: Biomass Waster Water Generator, Fuel Cells, Plasma-arc Torch
