One of the most significant challenges manufacturing faces is the treatment of effluents, which are wastewater byproducts often filled with harmful pollutants and chemicals. If untreated, these effluents can pollute water sources, damage ecosystems, and pose serious health risks.
Traditionally, many manufacturing plants use chemical methods to treat this wastewater, but these methods can be energy-intensive and expensive. Sometimes, they even add more chemicals into the environment.
Bioprocessing is an alternative that offers a greener and more sustainable way to clean effluent, relying on natural organisms to break down pollutants. In addition, many bioprocessing techniques now include carbon capture technologies, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making the manufacturing process even more eco-friendly.
This blog post explores how bioprocessing works, its benefits, and how carbon capture fits into the equation to support sustainable manufacturing.
Bioprocessing uses living organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or even plants, to break down pollutants in industrial wastewater. These organisms naturally digest harmful compounds, turning them into more environmentally friendly byproducts, like biomass and water. Some of these byproducts, in particular biomass and some metabolites like pigments and vitamins, even have the potential for reuse.
This approach contrasts with traditional chemical treatments that can be more harmful overall to the environment when you consider the whole life costs (environmental and financial) of producing the chemicals and their use in a treatment system. Plus, with the right setup, bioprocessing can even capture carbon dioxide (CO₂), one of the main contributors to climate change.
Treating effluent isn’t just about avoiding fines and following the law—there are more prominent environmental and economic reasons for doing it correctly.
Preventing Pollution: Manufacturing produces untreated wastewater that can contaminate rivers, lakes, and oceans. Effective treatment helps protect these ecosystems.
Regulatory Compliance: Governments enforce strict regulations to ensure that factories clean up their wastewater before it’s released. Failing to comply can lead to hefty fines or even shutdowns.
Resource Recovery: Treating effluent not only cleans water but can also recover valuable resources, which can be reused in the production process or by other industries.
Carbon Emissions: Manufacturing is a significant source of CO₂ emissions. Integrating carbon capture into effluent treatment can help reduce the overall carbon footprint of industrial activities.
Bioprocessing involves a few key techniques that use biology to treat wastewater.
A bioreactor is a controlled tank where biological organisms perform a process of industrial interest, for example, cleaning wastewater. Different types of bioreactors come into play depending on the type of waste. Sometimes, two bioreactors can work together to treat more challenging effluents.
Aerobic Bioreactors use microbes that need oxygen to break down pollutants. They work well for wastewater with high levels of organic matter (like food or agriculture industries).
Anaerobic Bioreactors work without oxygen and are good for breaking down organic waste in effluent from industries like paper mills or food processing. They also produce biogas (methane), which can be captured and used as energy, reducing carbon emissions.
Membrane Bioreactors combine biological treatment with a membrane that filters out contaminants. They are highly efficient and produce very clean water, typically requiring a smaller footprint than conventional systems.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBR) use polyethylene biofilm to mix motion and aerated wastewater treatment tanks. The biocarrier is efficient and protects the surface area, supporting the growth of bacteria necessary to break down waste. The bacteria are responsible for the high-rate biodegradation process in the system. MBBRs are much smaller and more scalable than other systems.
One of three treatment processes is typically applied within a bioreactor.
1. Suspended Growth: The microorganisms are suspended in the wastewater and form a mixed liquor. Through continuous aeration, oxygen is supplied to the microorganisms, consuming the organic matter in the wastewater.
2. Attached Growth: The microorganisms, in this instance, are attached directly to a surface, such as rocks or plastic media, forming a biofilm. The wastewater flows over the surface of the biofilm, with the microorganisms removing pollutants.
3. Hybrid Growth: A combination of suspended and attached growth.
Carbon capture is the process of trapping carbon dioxide (CO₂) before it enters the atmosphere. When added to bioprocessing, it helps reduce the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process even further. Here’s how it works in bioprocessing systems:
Aerobic Bioreactors: Aerobic microorganisms require oxygen, like us, to respire. When breaking down the waste, they give off CO2 as part of the respiration process. This CO2 can be captured in a Photo Algal Bioreactor (PBR) where the algae naturally absorb CO₂ (during photosynthesis) and grow, with the resulting algae being harvested regularly. The harvested algae offers a wide range of potential options for reuse, such as biofertilizer and biodiesel production..
Anaerobic Bioreactors: When microbes break down waste in an oxygen-free environment, they produce biogas - a mixture of methane and CO₂. By capturing the methane for energy and storing the CO₂, this process becomes a low-carbon solution, supporting Net Zero 2030 and 2050.
Microalgae: Algal bioreactors not only treat wastewater but also naturally absorb CO₂ during photosynthesis. As the algae grow, they lock away CO₂, which can then be stored or used in other industries like biofuel production.
Bioenergy from Biomass: The byproducts of bioprocessing, such as organic matter or algae, can be turned into bioenergy. This creates renewable energy sources that offset the carbon emissions from fossil fuels, further contributing to carbon reduction.
Looking ahead, advances in biotechnology and carbon capture could make these technologies even more effective. Scientists are working on genetic engineering to develop microbes that can break down tougher pollutants and capture more carbon. Innovations in synthetic biology also offer hope for making these processes faster and more reliable.
Bioprocessing provides a sustainable solution for treating industrial effluent, using natural organisms to clean wastewater while also capturing harmful carbon dioxide. By reducing pollution, cutting energy costs, and lowering the carbon footprint, bioprocessing plays a vital role in creating cleaner, greener manufacturing processes. As technology advances, bioprocessing and carbon capture will only become more important in the global effort to combat climate change and protect our natural resources.
