Jiraluck Inwong. Technological and Business Feasibility Study of "GlyCELL" (Glycerol Microbial Fuel Cell) : Electrical Energy Production from Crude Glycerin. Master's Degree(Building Technology). King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. KMUTT Library.. : King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 2553-01-19.
Technological and Business Feasibility Study of "GlyCELL" (Glycerol Microbial Fuel Cell) : Electrical Energy Production from Crude Glycerin
Abstract:
The oversupply of crude glycerin in the market encourages many industries, especially
the biodiesel industry, to look for new avenues and/or new investments, leading to a
novel product development, for crude glycerin consumption and application. This
research offers GlyCELL, an innovative product enabling 25-50 kWh of electricity
produced from lL of crude glycerin added in 4L-Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) bioreactor
through catalytic reactions of microorganism, to the clean energy market. The creativity
of GlyCELL as a novel product having recombinant E. coli as an acetate producer with
the co-culture of E. coli and G. sulfurreducens in the developed MFC system was
proposed. According to substantial progress in the modem MFC and biotechnology
researches, most technologies for GlyCELL? are ready for small scale application.
GlyCELL will be practical in the case that further requirements of model development,
process design, system optimization and prototype testing are completed prior to
launching GlyCELL? into the market. To achieve the business advantages from
GlyCELL, 11.5 million THB for a 5-year product development plan is necessary. The
returns for a lO-year project are calculated to be approximately 98 million THB, 25%, 5
years, and 9 unit/year in terms of Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Payback
Period, and Break Even Point, respectively. In summary, GlyCELL represents an
innovative technological platform producing renewable and carbon-neutral energy from
wastes with no environmental impacts as well as demonstrating its feasibilities in both
technological and business aspects.