GB2460834A

GB2460834A - Converting biowaste into useful commercial products

Info

Publication number: GB2460834A
Application number: GB0810527A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adam Elliston; Christopher Barry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-06-09
Filing date: 2008-06-09
Publication date: 2009-12-16
Also published as: WO2009150455A2; GB0810527D0; WO2009150455A3

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing the volume of municipal waste and extracting materials therefrom. The method comprises separating biomass derived waste, reducing the biomass to a substantially liquid form which may include shredding and maceration of the waste, enzymatically reducing the biomass substances therein using an enzyme mix chosen to maximise output from the waste material and ideally fermenting the reduced mix to produce specific outputs from the waste material. A selected specific output material is extracted from the waste slurry for subsequent purification and processing, water and remaining solids are separated so that the water may be recycled or flushed and the solids may be composted, compressed for further use or put to landfill. Preferably use of corrosive chemicals is avoided during breakdown of waste. The specific enzyme and fermenting micro-organism are selected depending on the type of waste to be reduced and the desired output; for example possible enzymes may be cellulose, amylase, lignases, hemicellulases, proteases, kinases and nucleic-acid splitting and conjoining enzymes. Specific outputs may be selected from ethanol, butanol, acetone, long-chain hydrocarbon esters, peptides, glucose, xylose, mannose, agarose, and lignine derived substrates such as terpenes and complex oligosaccharides; in a particular embodiment ethanol is extracted for use as a biofuel. The apparatus may be adapted for use in vehicles such as submarines, aircraft and cruise ships, for use in restaurants or food processing plants for the disposal or conversion of food waste, and use in individual homes or apartment complexes for processing of household municipal waste.

Description

A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING BlO WASTE

INTO USEFUL COMMERCRIL PRODUCTS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for reducing waste material volume, specifically biowaste, and extracting useful by-products by active conversion thereof into commercially viable products. More particularly.

the invention relates to scalable biofuel production from localised biomass waste sources. The invention further relates to the application of the method and apparatus to the reduction and/or recycling of municipal, domestic and business * 10 waste. * S * * ***.

: *** The method and apparatus as described hereinbelow are directed primarily with * * reference to the recovery of materials from localised biomass waste sources which S..

can be converted locally. It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee that the 5.. invention may be applied to any waste source having a high biomass content.

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*S**.* * S By being fully scalable, the invention may be applied to small businesses, residential properties and specific mobile applications in addition to large-scale municipal and similar applications.

Background to the Invention

A significant amount of domestic, municipal and business waste is biodegradable, however, the degradation is known to take time, in some cases years.

it is known that once sorted the bulk of biodegradable waste matter available from domestic, municipal and business sources, hereinafter referred to simply as "biomass" comprises cellulose fibre. This originates from paper, cardboard, food waste, agricultural waste, wood products, natural fibres and the like.

Although there are a number of recycling processes in existence, the most common ways of dealing with domestic and commercial waste are by incineration or dumping in landfill sites.

There are well-established problems associated with the disposal of domestic, municipal and business waste, most significantly being the space it occupies in landfill sites. Although there are recycling systems available these generally add to the cost of processing refuse and do not generate an income stream. As a result such recycling systems are seen as a financial burden. Consequently, most waste is buried without sorting and in the conditions prevalent within a landfill site, degredation is often hampered by lack of aeration, thereby increasing the period in which biowaste decomposes. Consequently, biornass takes up valuable landfill site space and a significant potential resource is buried rather than utilised. * ** * * S

The usual alternative to landfill is incineration, however, this has inherent problems also. Significant amongst these problems are the need for sorting of : .: : :* combustable and non-combustable waste, the high fuel requirements to achieve pyrolytic conversion of toxic fumes to more benign fumes and the need for tall stack chimneys, which are both unsightly and hugely expensive to construct. As S. **SS * 20 well as being significant, immediate contributors of greenhouse gases to the *** SS S * 0 atmosphere.

Both of these methods have inherent problems associated with them. For most municipal collections, waste is collected and subsequently dumped without sorting and is not compacted prior to burial. When placed in a landfill site, waste material takes up excessive space and renders the land unusable for decades.

Additionally, toxic material or effluent can leak into surrounding land and aquifers. Furthermore, there are less available sites suitable for landfill and planning authorities are often very reluctant to give permission for new sites.

Where incineration is used, the waste must first be sorted into suitable combustible material and the non-combustible waste must be diverted again to landfill site. When burnt the combustible material emits carbon dioxide and suiphurous emissions, leaving elevated carbon and energy footprints and contributing to acidification of precipitation. There is also a necessity for elevated exhaust of fumes usually via high chimneys which create an aesthetic nuisance and are difficult to build within planning restrictions. Additionally, incinerators are notoriously inefficient and require high-energy inputs.

Most significantly, all current existing methods of disposing of waste add to the total "carbon footprint" of residences, businesses generally and local authority or government (adding by inefficient collection and processing of waste). For example, composting leads to a release of large quantities of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane over extended periods, each of the latter being up to 5 times as powerful a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Similarly, the sorting and transport demands of conventional recycling are major contributors to greenhouse gases and are very wasteful of energy. This situation is exacerbated where the waste has to be transported over a significant distance. The use of waste in anaerobic digestion leads to the production of an explosive gas requiring 500 * ** times as much storage capacity for the resultant fuel (methane) which is itself between 3 and 5 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide and is **.

explosive.

** *..* * It is an object of the present invention to seek to alleviate the disadvantages * associated with the above methods of disposing of municipal and commercial waste.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of reducing the volume of waste and utilising matter extracted therefrom to produce commercially valuable by-products.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to produce a substantially inert waste material suitable for reduced volume landfill, which material is not prone to methane production or the leaching of toxic materials in to surrounding land or aquifers.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a scalable apparatus and method for the conversion of biomass into fuel and associate by-products for the production of energy.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of reducing the volume of municipal waste and extracting matter therefrom, the method comprising separating biomass derived waste, having high concentrations of cellulose; reducing the biomass to a substantially liquid form; chemically reducing the biomass substances therein using an enzyme mix chosen to maximise output from the waste material; fermenting the reduced mix to produce specific outputs from the waste S.'. * .

material; *f * * S S...

* extracting the specific output material from the liquid for subsequent S..

purification and processing; separating water and remaithng solids so that the water may be recycled or flushed and the solids may be composted, compressed for fuel use or put to landfill.

Advantageously, the step of reducing the biomass to a substantially liquid form comprises the shredding and maceration of wetted bioniass.

The specific outputs may comprise ethanol, butanol, acetone, long-chain hydrocarbon esters, peptides, glucose, xylose, mannose, agarose and lignine derived substrates. including terpenes and complex oligosaccharides.

Advantageously. different enzymes are chosen to deal with specific substances within the liquid and for converting those substances in to usual and extractable bi-products. Advantageously an enzyme mix is used in which the enzymes utilised are chosen from amylase, lignases, hemicellulases. proteases, kinases and nucleic-acid splitting and conjoining enzymes.

The invention accelerates and controls the degradation of waste without the intervention of microorganisms or corrosive chemicals and has predictability in the constitution of the output by virtue of the specificity of the enzyme controlled process.

As the liquid is glucose rich and can be fermented to generate ethanol, the process has a negligible carbon footprint because of its waste origin and can be distilled to provide a source of fuel either for addition to petroleum products or to power a fuel cell, thereby providing a source of electrical power directly from the waste.

By adjusting the enzyme mix, a wide variety of waste can be accommodated, and similarly by adjusting the microbes used in the fermenting stage, different :.:: 15 commercially valuable outputs can be generated. * .

The waste material will have different quantities and forms of biological polymers such as starch, cellulose, lignin, requiring different quantities and types of enzymes to efficiently catabolyse the components of that mixture. Similarly, the ** *s.* * specific outputs of the waste following digestion may be better fermented by different microorganisms fbr the purpose of yielding different usable products.

The present invention further provides an apparatus for reducing waste and extracting matter therefrom, the apparatus comprising: a macerator for breaking solid matter down in to smaller pieces for feeding to an enzyme digestion bath; a heat processor and a circulating pump to ensure adequate mixing of material within the bath and warming to accelerate the enzyme reaction; filter means to extract solids from the reaction liquid and means for extracting material for further processing.

Advantageously, there is provided a fermentation chamber.

The process times and temperatures will vary according to the composition of the waste and the type of microbes chosen. The reaction chamber will require a variable temperature control, variable mixing control and the ability to adjust the dwell time and rate of transfer between stages. The stages are 1. Physical breakdown 2. Heating and mixing with water 3. Stirring and addition of enzymes 4. Separation of the soluble products in the liquor from the solid residues * .* 5. Pumping across the sugar liquor to the fermentation chamber and the * *.

addition of the yeast or other microbe or the passing of the sugar liquor e. and the concentration of the sugars for on sale p. p p...

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6. Fermentation with mixing 7. Separation of the alcohol rich liquor * * . 8. Distillation of the alcohol 9. Return of the residual liquid to the fermentation for further processing The apparatus and process will be used in the conversion of municipal waste, the outputs of food service and food processing sites (restaurants and factories).

Cruise liners generate up to 9 tonnes of biomass waste per day when at sea. This has to be stored and can only be offloaded at certain ports. This requires room for holding the waste and presents a hygiene hazard on board. The invention converts this waste to a usable fuel and reduces the residual mass relieving the pressure oil space. It also renders the material more hygienic. In the case of submarines, thes vessels may be at sea for up to six months and cairnot leave any indication of their presence in addition to the issues raised in regard to cruise liners. Aircraft too generate waste and the turnaround time and hygiene is improved by the ability to reduce waste and the fuel potential from the generated alcohol may be used to contribute to the aircraft's fuel demand.

The use of the invention on housing estates and in apartment complexes combines the reduction of the waste volume to be moved with the capability to generate a fuel resource that may be passed to a generator to power the complex. It also improves the odour, hygiene and pest attraction of the accumulated waste.

Brief Description of the Drawjgs

The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example only, one embodiment of biomass processing apparatus in accordance with the invention. In the 1 5 drawing: *..* Fig. I shows a diagrammatic representation of process apparatus according to the * * present invention. **** * .*

* .: *. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments *.

Referring to Figure 1, a scalable processing apparatus according to the present * invention is shown diagrammatically. * *

In an exemplifying construction, the apparatus comprises a first tank within which unprocessed feedstock is mixed with water which is regulated via a level switch and associated valve at a water inlet iipe. Mixing is facilitated by the rotation of a motorized shredder arrangement disposed near the bottom of the tank and powered via a belt drive from a motor. Blades are disposed on the shredder arrangement both to assist in the mixing and circulation of materials in the tank but also to breakdown the ieedstock to produce a slurry. The motor includes a reciprocating action to ftirther breakdown the feedstock. A heater raises the temperature of the water in the tank to 80Â°C to eliminate unwanted bacteria from the unprocessed feedstock and to assist in the formation of the slurry. The slurry is allowed to cool to an operational temperature which is monitored by regulation of the heater. An enzyme mix is added to the slurry to breakdown the feedstock further and to prepare the feedstoclc for a fermentation stage. The slurry is circulated by outwardly directing impellers of the shredder which force the slurry into the corners of the tank where corner baffle plates are provided. These plates not only encourage circulation of the material towards the upper port of the tank but also act to protect less robust elements within the tank, including for example the water inlet pipe and associated level sensor and the heating element.

An outlet port is disposed in one corner at the base of the tank and flow therethrough is controlled via a motorized pinch valve which is coupled to the inlet port of a second tank comprising a fermentation tank where the slurry from the first tank is heated by a tank surface heater and agitated by the recirculation of material drawn from an outlet port A and reintroduced to the fermentation tank at a second inlet port B. A selected yeast is added to the material in the tank to enable fermentation and the conversion of sugars within the tank to ethanol. An inspection door is provided within one wall of the tank to facilitate visual * .* assessment of the mixture. When fermentation is complete, a valve redirects *.* liquid form outlet port A to an inlet port C on a distillation tank. The distillation * ..* tank includes a water jacket to ensure volatile liquids entering the still tank are *** * never in contact with a heating element which is iositioned in a water chamber at the base of the distillation tank. As the liquid is heated, the volatile components evaporate and are circulated using a hot gas fan which directs the vapour through : an evaporation coil which condenses ethanol for collection in a chamber. The chamber is shaped to direct the collected condensate towards an outlet from which ethanol is conveyed to a storage vessel.

A pump is optionally provided to recirculate warmed water left in the distillation tank into the enzyme tank at intervals to reduce the requirement for heating and watering of the slurry.

As the distillation tank is a closed vessel to prevent loss of ethanol vapours, an expansion vessel is optionally provided to allow for thermal expansion and subsequent contraction of the vessel.

The apparatus additionally may comprise a pre-processing stage (not illustrated) where biowaste is shredded or macerated to reduce the size of the individual waste components and to expose a greater surface area for watering and for subsequent enzymatic action. The shredded or macerated biowaste is heated by a heating element, by microwave energy or another appropriate mechanism to enhance the disruption of the gross structure and macromolecular fabric of the material being processed.

in use, a biowaste material of predominantly one type is selected for processing, so that the appropriate enzyme mix is used to maximize the recovery of appropriate sugars for subsequent conversion to ethanol. Cross shredding or maceration breaks down the biowaste sufficiently for feeding into the enzyme tank where a heated slurry is produced and agitated for a predetermined period to ensure the enzymatic action is maximized.

The enzyme mix is selected from ceilulases (including exogluconase, * *S ***,. endogluconase and cellobiase), amylases, proteases, lipases, lactases, lignases and *:: hemicellulases, adjusted accordingly to the feedstock used. ideally, the enzyme * 20 mix is adjusted actionally in response to monitored analysis of relative sugar concentrations, particularly cellulose, starch, lactose and cellobiose. Additionally, *.

the mix can be adjusted accordingly to the required output of the process whether alcoihols, keytones or aldehydes for subsequent conversion to fuels. * S

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*.**S* * The precise mix and concentrations and origins of the enzymes will depend on the composition of the waste feedstock. For example, a predominantly or solely paper waste feedstock would be treated with cellulose enzymes, since the sole component from which sugars could be released (or any other biologically usable substance) is cellulose -the polymer of glucose found in cell walls. Where the bi owaste feedstock comprises green plant material, the components would include cellulose but there would also starch present which would require amylase to release the sugars from that component. Similarly, plant originated food waste would use a mixture of enzymes. in addition to these, a protease (protein hydrolysing enzyme) added to a waste feedstock which includes meat arid/or other protein rich material would cause the breakdown of the meat and like material to amino acids and short chain, soluble chains thereof These are nitrogen rich and may he used as a starting point for the recovery of fertiliser and other products from which fuel or foodstuffs may be derived. Lipases cause the degredation of fats and oils and offer an energy efficient way of liberating fuel length carbon chains and starting points for these from waste fats.

After the biowaste feedstock has been shredded or macerated and subsequently processed through the enzyme digestion stage where it is agitated physically and broken down enzymatically using free enzyme solutions or immobilised enzymes capable of breaking down some or all of tile macromolecular residues in tue waste, the resulting slmTy is passed to a fermentation stage.

1 5 In the fermentation tank. specific microorganisms are added to the slurry. The microorganisms are identified and selected for their ability to digest the micromolecular residues, released by the enzymatic action described hereinabove, and converting these to a desired end product. The microorganisms are selected from yeasts and bacteria, including Saccharomyces spp. and Clostridia spp. other species of bacteria are known to the skilled addressee and are included herein by S. reference. Further species found to he beneficial are hereby included by way of * ** * * * reference and without limitation.

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When the formulation stage is completed and the sugars released by the enzymatic action have been converted into the required end product (particularly ethanol). s5es* * S

the fermentation mix is pumped to a vacuum clisti llation stage where the energy rich end product is released from the fermentation mix under reduced pressure and elevated temperature. the temperature being closely controlled and regulated to extract the specific volatile end product by vaporisation and collecting the end product as a condensate.

The collected condensate is then fed to a storage vessel which may include a -Il-transporter tank or an underground storage tank. In one arrangement, the volatile end product is fed to a fuel cell capable of generating electrical power or to any other system capable of utilising the volatile end product (or products) for the genei-ation of usable energy, whether as engine fuel or for water heating systems or the like.

As indicated above, the invention is intended to include modifications to deal with different biowaste feedstock, for example, specific enzyme mixtures to deal with food waste which includes meat and fats or oils. Such modifications include the selection of defined cultures of bacteria chosen for their survival and multiple metabolising capabilities. Careful selection and use of specific feedstocks can yield additional end product options including arnmoniacal-nitrogen and phosphate rich fertiliser liquids (which can be dried and powdered where necessary); longer chain fuel compounds; aldehydes; and ketones. The conversion and purification of vegetable oils and used cooking oils to fuel 1 5 com]Jonents is also considered.

The apparatus of the invention is presented in modular form so that the method in accordance to the invention may *be conducted at separate sites and intervals.

Thus, the separation and selection of suitable feedstock may occur at a municipal * ** waste depot for conveying to a second site where more selective sorting of *.** *** 20 materials occurs and is combined with materials from other municipal sources.

* ** Selected feedstock is then shredded and/or macerated for batchwise processing in an enzyme mix as described hereinabove. I.. *

* * * * * Tb e slurry thus formed and after the enzymatic action is completed to release the targeted components is transferred to the fermentation stage which may not necessarily be adjacent the enzyme tank (although commonly is). Similarly.

which conveniently disposed adjacent the fermentation stage, the distillation stage may take place remotely of fermentation. Indeed, considering the handling of volatile components there are advantages in ininimising the potential handling risk factors to be weighed against the advantages of processing and condensing the volatile components separately.

in addition to the processing and recovery of volatile components suitable for fuel use, biowaste processing also produces nutrient rich materials suitable for fertiliser and other by-products which can be either dried and sent to landfill or in some carefully controlled instances can be flushed to a foul outlet or sewer.

Soiled by-products (undigested residues) may also be used as a burnable fuel when compressed or otherwise further processed or if not of fuel grade be used for productive purposes including insulation and building materials.

While the system of the invention may be sited at a point of biowaste productions, such as a paper mill, sugar beet processing factory, furniture manufacturing/MDF processing plant, food product plant or at a recyclable materials deposit site, such as those specified for domestically sourced garden waste or for paper and cardboard recycling, one of its primary advantages is its scaleability. Although advantageous to produce fuels, electrical energy and fertiliser's on site at such a point of production of biowaste, and thereby reducing demand on outside energy, 1 5 total carbon footprint, etc., it is the flexibility of the system that give it its greatest environmental impact.

By modifying the apparatus for specific applications, the system may be applied locally to solve immediately the generation of large volumes of waste which * otherwise would require collection and municipal disposal. in addition to the systems ability to address the needs of municipal authorities to reduce landfill and * *I *.:.. in doing so generate fuel and income, the apparatus and method of the invention is *.* fully scaleable to meet any demand.

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*..SSS * * * Mobile processor * * * A chassis mounted apparatus constructed so as to meet specific and localised needs arising from gluts of available biomass material infrequently or as part of timed events, for example, seaweed incursions and harvest time.

flousehold/residential The iverage household in the UK generates 500kg of waste per year of this -1 3-approximately 250kg comprises biowaste from which glucose and other sugars can be extracted, primarily from cooked food and glucose polymers, including cellulosic, such as paper, cardboard, and green waste or starch from vegetable waste and food stuffs such as potato and baked goods. Using the process described, upwards of 300g/kg of digestable material may be released. The sugar solution produced may either be washed away, sold for ethanol manufacturer, fermented and the alcohol-rich liquid sold for distillation, distilled for sale or the distil led alcohol (ethanol) may be fed to a fuel cell and electricity generated from it for supplying the household/residents or for sale back to the grid. The system of the invention is capable of processing all paper and food waste, eliminating the need for large volume collections of recyclable material and is able to deal with "contaminated" materials and food stuffs (including meat), unsuitable for conventional recycling. The process leaves a solid residue of less than 50% by dry weight or volume of the original material. It also renders the material hygienic and the residue may be compressed for further use (as an insulator) or may he used as a burnable fuel.

Business/small industrial A significant proportion of business related waste involves paper (which may * already be shredded) and cardboasd packaging materials. Most other waste will either relate to foodstuffs or materials already recyclable by conventional means * (such as those specifically for glass and metals). A system according to the invention of similar or increased size to that described above in respect of *e household/residential will facilitate a significant reduction in collected waste.

decreasing the financial burden in collection charges and allowing for generation *,,..: 25 of fuel materials for sale or for use in meeting the energy requirements of the * 0 business.

Sea-going vessels A cruise liner will accrue up to 9 tonnes of waste per day, of which about 80% is convertible to a fermentable material by the process of the invention. Where regulated. cruise liners have to store the waste and can only offload this at certain ports. where they are subject to very high costs. By processing the material on board a fuel mixture may be derived which can either be used in conjunction with a fuel cell to generate electrical power for adding to the ships electrical system or for mixing with fuels used in other systems on board.

Sub marines The waste generated by personnel on submarines will be of a similar composition to that on cruise liners and similar sea-going vessels, although in small volumes but requiring storage over a substantially longer period. The storage problem is exacerbated by the highly restricted space on board and the requirement to retain all materials on board so as not to portray position information to an enemy or reveal any information concerning origin or route. A submarine version of the invention will allow waste volume to be reduced and the resultant alcohol to be used as a fuel source, either as combustable material, for feeding a fuel cell for electrical generation on board or as a processed material that can be disposed of without significant risk of identification or tracing or origin.

The waste material once processed yields solid residues which have been reduced to fine particulates, these may be compressed and either burned to fuel this or another process or may be used in further constructions such as insulation material in buildings. Thus, the process yields a sugar rich liquor that may be passed for * I..

processing by fermentation to fuel or used as a fertiliser and solids that may he utilised as fuel for pyrolysis in one fomi or another or to be incorporated in further manufactures.

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The system may he integrated directly into a new build or may be added ***** subsequently to a house, complex factory or municipal type installation.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications amid alterations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method of reducing the volume of municipal waste and extracting materials therefrom, the method comprising: reducing the biomass to a substantially liquid form; chemically reducing the biomass substances therein using an enzyme mix chosen to maxirnise output from the waste material; fermenting the reduced liquid biomass mix to produce specific outputs from the waste material; extracting the specific output material from the liquid for subsequent purification and processing; and separating water and remaining solids so that the water may be recycled or flushed and the solids may be composted, compressed for fu& use or put to landfill.
2. A method of reducing the volume of municipal waste and extracting materials therefrom as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the step of reducing the * biomass to a substantially liquid form comprises the shredding and maceration of wetted biomass. I.. :
3. The method as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2, in which the specific outputs are selected from ethanol, butanol, acetone, long-chain hydrocarbon * 20 esters, peptides, glucose, xylose, mannose, agarose and lignine derived substrates, including terpenes and complex oligosaceharides.

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4. The method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which different enzymes are chosen to deal with specific substances within the liquid and for converting those substances into usual and extractable bi-products.
5. The method as claimed in any one of Claims I to 4, in which the enzymes utilised in the enzyme mix are chosen from cellulase, amylase, lignases, hemicellulases, proteases, kinases and nucleic-acid splitting and conjoining enzymes.
6. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method accelerates and controls the degradation of waste without the intervention of microorganisms or corrosive chemicals and has predictability in the constitution of the output by virtue of the specificity of the enzyme mix which is selected or adjusted so that a wide variety of waste can be accommodated.
7. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the method includes the selection of fermentation microbes to achieve specific outputs.
8. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which, where the reduced liquid biomass mix is sugar rich, the fermentation produces a specific output selected to be relatively high in ethanol or another suitable alcohol.
9. The method as claimed in Claim 8, in which the alcohol is extracted from a fermentation vessel before reaching a level where alcohol concentration interfers with the extraction process. * ** * * . 0****
10. The method as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, in which the alcohol is distilled to provide a source of fuel either for addition to petroleum products or to *.* power a fuel cell, thereby providing a source of electrical power directly from the S..waste. *5e* * S *5SSii. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which different quantities and types of enzymes are selected to catabolyse efficiently the components of the waste mixture which may comprise different quantities and forms of biological polymers, including starch, cellulose, Jignin and the like.12. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which fermentation of the liquid biornass mix is enforced by the selection of different microorganisms and for the purpose of yielding different useable products.13. An apparatus for reducing waste and extracting materials therefrom,.the apparatus comprising: a macerator for breaking solid matter down into smaller pieces for accommodating in an enzyme digestion bath; a heat processor and a circulating pump to ensure adequate mixing of material within the bath and warming to accelerate the enzyme reaction; 0 filter means to extract solids from the reaction liquid; and means for extracting material for further processing.14. The apparatus as claimed in Claim I 3, in which there is included a fermentation chamber.15. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 14, which includes control means to regu]ate the process times and temperatures according to the composition of the * ::* waste and the type of microbes chosen.16. The apparatus as claimed in Claim 15. in which the control means includes variable temperature control, variable mixing control and the ability to adjust the dwell time and rate of transfer between the method process steps. S...17. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 16, adapted specifically for use in vehicles, including submarines, aircraft and passenger ferries arid cruise ships.18. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 1 6, adapted specifically for use in the disposal or conversion of food waste from food service outlets and food processing sites, thereby reducing odours and rodent infestations.19. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 16, so sized, shaped and adapted to process domestic household waste on scales from municipal disposal to apartment complexes and individual homes.20. The apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 16, adapted specifically to process selected controlled feedstock including: cardboard and paper fibreboard and particle board; crop processing waste; grass cuttings; food waste and human and animal waste.21. A method of reducing the volume of municipal waste and extracting materials therefrom, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.22. An apparatus for reducing waste and extracting materials therefrom, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.23 An apparatus for reducing waste from a specific feedstock or adapted for use in specific environments, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing. * ** * * 0 * *0 *0** * 0 * *** *ae. * a U *0 0S a.. * U... * * S... * U