I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Fuel-Flexible Combustion Technology

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is based on the development of a sustainable approach for resilient energy generation that promotes better waste treatment. The technology is based on liquid-fueled combustion with near-zero emissions, high fuel flexibility and operational capability. The patented fuel-flexible injector/mixer technology can be utilized in other combustion systems such as gas turbines, microturbines, furnaces for clean and resilient energy generation, and propulsion. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-identified 951 operational and potential landfill gas to energy systems in the U.S. Through this technology, additional jobs and taxes will be generated to benefit the economy and simultaneously relieve the waste management burden. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. The solution is based on the development of a technology that enables clean landfill flares and clean waste-to-energy (WtE) with high fuel flexibility, near-zero emissions, high resilience, and minimal processing. The technology simultaneously generates cost-effective resilient energy and eases the waste treatment burden. The solution can also be broadly used in various combustion systems for clean and resilient power and propulsion. This technology enables energy resilience and weather resistance due to the high fuel flexibility of the novel fuel injectors/mixers with fundamentally different atomization mechanisms, as well as complete combustion of the landfill gas (LFG) flare and waste-based biofuels to realize zero-carbon emissions that are closed-carbon cycle and ultra-clean. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.