Grantee Research Project Results
Procuring NHSM and Food processing by-products for Electricity Generation, Heating and Cooking applications
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC21C0028Title: Procuring NHSM and Food processing by-products for Electricity Generation, Heating and Cooking applications
Investigators: Jyamfi, Kwaku
Small Business: Farm to Flame Energy Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021
Project Amount: $99,999
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
The global power generation market will reach $1.5 T by 2022 with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.5% [1]. This ever-growing industry is significantly contributing to the global climate crisis, and with hundreds of millions of people still facing electricity supply deficits, it is imperative that new solutions are developed to pave a towards a sustainable resource management. At the moment, there is no cost competitive solution that can address the gap of accessible and affordable renewable baseload capacity. The intermittency of solar and wind power limits their capability to replace traditional power plants. This is especially a problem for remote communities and the developing world, as many of these economies still rely on oil as their primary fuel source of electricity. This results in communities having the most polluting grids in the world, with the highest Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) (>$0.25/kWh). Farm to Flame Energy (FTF) solves this problem with a novel combustion process that enables biomass from construction, food processing and agricultural waste streams to be transformed to extremely affordable electricity at a record low-emissions. With the same fuel, FTF can form briquettes that burn cleaner than wood, charcoal and wood pellets, capable of providing an alternative to the 2.5 billion people that rely on solid biomass to cook their meals [2]. Our fuel purity positions us as healthier and green alternative to wood and charcoal, as well as protecting our generator components from abrasion and corrosion. A Machine Learning (ML) application will push the state-of- the art in the biomass combustion field. Neural network algorithms and LIDAR sensors will be utilized to identify viable feedstocks. The FTF business model entails sourcing abundant waste streams, and through a cost-efficient process, transform them into electricity, cooking and heating fuel. FTF targets woodstove users in the U.S., businesses interested in achieving energy independence, and those that want to offset their energy expenditures with their own waste. FTF will target construction and demolition companies, sawmills, food processing plants, farmers looking for energy independence among others. We have successfully built a 28W lab-scale generator that created electricity at 100ppm of CO. We have established partnerships to deploy our generator through the Center of Excellence, SyracrNY and secured long-term 3.5MW agreement with the University of Calabar, Nigeria. Our briquettes will be tested in real in Wisconsin farms, and then distributed through retailers and e-commerce channels.
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.