Feed material for biomass generator
View Patent ↗The present invention is a bacteria and nutrient delivery composition containing bran. The subject composition is preferably made in the form of a tablet that is structurally stable without being excessively hard. The tablets preferably have a configuration that reduces the likelihood of premature shearing in tableting presses or jamming in feeder devices for biomass generators. Methods of manufacturing the bacterial delivery composition in a structurally stable form that maintains bacterial viability are also provided.
1. A method for making a feed material for a biomass generator in a pellet or tablet form, the method comprising:
autoclaving bran to kill background microorganisms;
producing a bran culture consisting essentially of bran, a fluid growth medium and non-spore forming Pseudomonas by applying to the autoclaved bran a fluid growth medium mixed with a waste-decomposing, bacterial culture of non-spore-forming Pseudomonas;
incubating the bran culture under humidity;
drying the bran culture;
grinding the dried bran culture to smaller particles; and
mixing with the ground bran culture one or more growth promoting nutrients to form a mixture;
forming a tablet or pellet from the mixture;
wherein the tablet or pellet comprises about 1 to 2 wt. percent bran and around 2-96.5 wt. percent total growth promoting nutrients, and wherein the Pseudomonas is present in an amount ranging between 0.1% and 10% of the total weight of the tablet or pellet.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising mixing at least one spore-forming strain of waste-decomposing bacteria without a carrier to form the mixture; and
wherein the Pseudomonas and spore-forming strain of waste decomposing bacteria are present in a combined amount between 0.1% and 10% of the total weight of the tablet or pellet.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one spore-forming strain of waste-decomposing bacteria is Bacillus.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the bran culture is incubated for about 48 hours.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the bran culture is incubated at a temperature of about 28° C.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the incubated bran culture is dried for about 72 hours.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the incubated bran culture is dried to a water activity of about 0.6 or less.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the dried bran culture is ground to a particle size of about 28-30 mesh.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the tablet or pellet is configured for use in a semi-automated feeder system without jamming by having a substantially cylindrical shape with convex ends, a length-to-diameter-ratio between about 0.9 and about 1.2, and a cup depth between about 0.018 inches and about 0.048 inches.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the tablet or pellet is pressed to a hardness between about 5.5 kilopond and about 8.5 kilopond.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the final bran culture preparation comprises about 5×10 9 cfu/g and is substantially free of other bacteria.
12. The method of claim 3 wherein the bran culture is ground to a particle size of around 28 to 30 mesh using a Stokes grinder.
13. The method of claim 3 further comprising storing the growth promoting nutrients in an environment that has less than 40% humidity and a temperature between about 45 F and 65 F prior to the mixing step.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising grinding the growth promoting nutrients to a particle size of around 28 to 30 mesh, if needed, prior to the mixing step.
15. The method of claim 3 wherein the tablet or pellet comprises around 1.2% of the bran culture by total weight of the tablet or pellet.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the Bacillus comprises one or more of Baciffis subtilis, Baccillus licheniformis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens , or Bacillus simplex in a combined amount that is around 0.1% of the total weight of the tablet or pellet.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the growth promoting nutrients comprises dextrose in an amount between around 35% and 40% of the total weight of the tablet or pellet and having a particle size of around 28 to 30 mesh.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising mixing microcrystalline cellulose having a particle size less than 30 mesh with the mixture; wherein the microcrystalline cellulose is present in an amount between around 1% and 15% of the total weight of the tablet or pellet.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the growth promoting nutrients further comprises around 15-30% starch and around 2-7% protein, both by weight of the tablet or pellet.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising mixing magnesium stearate with the mixture prior to forming the tablet or pellet, wherein the magnesium stearate is in an amount between about 0.1-1% by weight of the tablet or pellet.