Methanogenic reactor

A reactor vessel for the methanogenic conversion of an input material stream to an output materials stream, comprising:

• a bottom wall;
• a perimeter wall operationally coupled to said bottom wall and extending upwardly from said bottom wall;
• a top wall operationally coupled to said perimeter wall;
• said bottom wall, perimeter wall, and top wall defining an interior space environmentally separable from an exterior space outside of said reactor vessel;
• at least one sparger, said being positioned substantially within said interior space, said at least one sparger being operationally coupled to an input gas stream;
• a culture/media recirculating system;
• wherein said culture media recirculating system further comprising:
• a recirculation output port environmentally coupled to said interior space;
• a recirculation pump operationally coupled to said recirculation output port;
• a recirculation input port environmentally coupled to said interior space, said recirculation input port operationally coupled to said recirculation pump;
• a recirculation pipe operationally coupled between said recirculation output port and said recirculation input port;
• an oxidation reduction potential control system;
• wherein said oxidation reduction potential control system further comprises:
• An oxidation reduction potential probe positioned at least partially within recirculation pipe, said oxidation reduction potential probe measuring an oxidation reduction potential of a culture/media solution positioned in said interior portion;
• An oxidation reduction potential measurement unit operationally coupled to said oxidation reduction potential probe, said oxidation reduction potential measurement unit comparing an output of said oxidation reduction potential probe to a at least one predetermined ORP value;
• a pH control system;
• wherein said pH control system further comprises:
• an pH probe positioned at least partially within said recirculation pipe, said pH probe measuring a pH of a culture/media solution positioned in said interior portion;
• an pH measurement unit operationally coupled to said pH probe, said pH measurement unit comparing an output of said pH probe to at least one predetermined pH value;
• an agitation system;
• wherein said agitation system further comprises:
• an agitation drive means;
• an impeller operationally coupled to said agitation drive means, said impeller positioned within said reactor vessel;
• a thermal conditioning unit;
• wherein said thermal conditioning unit further comprises:
• a thermal transfer portion operationally coupled to said perimeter wall;
• an thermal probe positioned at least partially within said recirculation pipe, said thermal probe measuring a temperature of a culture/media solution positioned in said interior portion;
• and
• an thermal measurement unit operationally coupled to said thermal probe, said thermal measurement unit comparing an output of said thermal probe to at least one predetermined thermal value.

A reactor vessel for the methanogenic conversion of an input material stream to an output materials stream, comprising:

• a bottom wall;
• a perimeter wall operationally coupled to said bottom wall and extending upwardly from said bottom wall;
• a top wall operationally coupled to said perimeter wall;
• said bottom wall, perimeter wall, and top wall defining an interior space environmentally separable from an exterior space outside of said reactor vessel;
• at least one sparger, said being positioned substantially within said interior space, said at least one sparger being operationally coupled to an input gas stream;
• a hydrogen diffuser system positioned substantially within said interior space, said hydrogen differ system being for releasing hydrogen from a mixed gas stream flowing through said hydrogen diffuser system into said interior space;
• and
• wherein said hydrogen diffuser system is operationally coupled between a first output material stream port and a second output material stream port.