This invention is to use knowledge
pattern learning and search
system for selecting microorganisms to produce useful materials and to generate
clean energy from wastes, wastewaters,
biomass or from other inexpensive sources. The method starts with an
in silico screening platform which involves multiple steps. First, the organisms' profiles are compiled by linking the massive genetic and chemical fingerprints in the metabolic and energy-generating biological pathways (e.g. codon usages,
gene distributions in function categories, etc.) to the organisms' biological behaviors. Second, a
machine learning and
pattern recognition system is used to group the
organism population into characteristic groups based on the profiles. Lastly, one or a group of microorganisms are selected based on profile match scores calculated from a defined metabolic efficiency measure, which, in term, is a prediction of a desired capability
in real life based on an
organism's profile. In the example of recovering
clean energy from treating wastewaters from
food process industries, domestic or municipal wastes, animal or meat-packing wastes, microorganisms' metabolic capabilities to digest
organic matter and generate
clean energy are assessed using the invention, and the most effective organisms in terms of waste reduction and energy generation are selected based on the content of a biowaste input and a desired clean energy output. By selecting a
microorganism or consortia of multiply microorganisms using this method, one can clean the water and also directly generate
electricity from Microbial
Fuel Cells (MFC), or
hydrogen,
methane or other biogases from
microorganism fermentation. In addition, using similar
screening method, clean
hydrogen can be recovered first from an anaerobic
fermentation process accompanying the
wastewater treatment, and the end products from the
fermentation process can be fed into a
Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) process to generate clean
electricity and at the same time treat the
wastewater. The invention can be used to first select the hydrogenic microorganisms to efficiently generate
hydrogen and to select electrogenic organisms to convert the wastes into
electricity. This method can be used for converting wastes to one or more forms of renewable energies.