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Yudi Chen, Carnegie Mellon University
Catherine Groschner, Carnegie Mellon University
Brent Heard, Carnegie Mellon University
Avisha Shah, University of Pennsylvania
Matthew Vernacchia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Linear Nutrient Flow
Food Storage
Waste Storage
CrewO2
CO2
Cyclic Nutrient Flow
Current Solutions Sequential Batch Anaerobic
Composting (SEBAC) Anaerobic system→ CH4, not food
Research Space Bioconverter (RSB) Mainly for food waste
NASA JSC’s BIO-Plex Food storage and growth research
ESA’s Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELISSA)
Critical Tasks
Food Crop Selection Composting Process Selection Proof-of-Concept Rate Balancing Microgravity Gas Exchange Automation Verification
Food Crop - Production
Algae advantages over macroscopic plants Whole biomass edible
No waste from stems, etc less harvesting machinery
Grow in Liquid Media Simpler growth chamber: bioreactor tank
vs. complex hydroponic farm Easier process automation
Food Crop - Nutrition Of algae evaluated, Spirulina Platensis shows best
nutritional properties Spirulina has soy-like nutritional properties Spirulina is a staple crop for several tribes around
Lake Chad, and was for the Aztecs (Ciferri 1983) Carb : protein balance alterable via changes in
growing conditions (Tadros 1988) UN FAO meta-study:
Rich in protein, vitamins (Becker 1994) and iron (Henrikson 1989)
Immune system resilience to radiation (Academy of Chinese Military Medical Sciences)
Food Crop - Preparation
Fresh foods + packaged garnishes/ flavorings Allow astronauts to process the Spirulina into a variety of food
products
Tofu Soy-like milk Flour for tortillas, noodles and bread
Composting Process
Spirulina can grow in aerated swine waste (Canizares and Dominquez 1993)
Process: Liquefaction Aerobic stabilization
Thermophilic stage (60C) reduces pathogens Sterilization by UV irradiation
Lower complexity than MELISSA’s anaerobic and nitrogen fixation process.
Carbon:nitrogen ratio = most important parameter
Proof of Concept Procedure
Feces, urine, food waste and paper, in ratio matching NASA effluents report
Mechanical liquefaction Aeration in 1L bioreactors (35 days) UV irradiation + 10 min at 100C Dilution Used as Spirulina growth media in 1L bioreactors
Compare composting performance at C:N ratios and concentrations
Gather metabolic rate data
Proof of Concept
3-Aug 4-Aug 5-Aug 6-Aug 7-Aug 8-Aug 9-Aug 10-Aug 11-Aug 12-Aug0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Spirulina Growth (25:1 C:N compost)
Reactor 1Reactor 2Reactor 3
Time (days)
Lig
ht
Absorp
tion b
y b
iom
ass (
NTU
)
10:1 dilution
50:1 dilution
25:1 dilution
Rate Balancing
O2 produced by algae = O2 consumed by compost
+ O2 consumed by crewCO2 consumed by algae = CO2 produced by compost
+ CO2 produced by crewCompost mass
= (waste produced/time)*(retention time)Algae mass
=(food needed/time) / (growth rate)
Rate Balancing
Rate Balancing
Rate Balancing
Assuming Algae produces 15 g O2 /day/kg algae media Compost consumes 15 g O2 / kg compost
slurry /day 3 week waste composting 6 person crew 75% of diet is grown
~290 kg compost slurry >530 kg algae media to provide food ~620 kg algae media to balance O2
Microgravity Gas Exchange Need to move gases into and out of
liquid media Normally done by sparing – this will not
work in microgravity
Membrane Gas Exchange (MGE)
Centrifugal Gas Exchange (CGE)
CGE/MGE Bioreactor10L capacity
Rotating growth chamber, up to 500rpm for CGE
Electrical connections for sensors, heating and lighting on rotor
Under DevelopmentUnder Development
Future Work
Microgravity CGE/MGE
Pursue experiments on parabolic flight aircraft NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education
Flight Program
Biological tests in CGE/MGE BioreactorInvestigate: Algae and compost metabolisms with
new gas exchange system Impact of biomass on gas exchange
effectiveness
Closed system
Components: Compost bioreactor
(x1) Algae bioreactors
(x2) Crew simulant (i.e.
mice) Confirm rate
balances Investigate
automation methods
Automation
Waste Input
Composting
Algae growth
Material Transfer
Alternative Product Applications
• Remote Locations
• Oil Rigs / Submarines
• Third World
Extensive Ground Proving
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by a Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Award
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