Anaerobic thermophilic trickle bed reactor as a promising technology for flexible and demand-oriented H2/CO2 biomethanation

Strübing, Dietmar; Moeller, Andreas B.; Mößnang, Bettina; Lebuhn, Michael; Drewes, Jörg E.; Koch, Konrad

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.09.225

Cited by 61 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 75 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a recent study comparing different reactor systems, the most efficient reactor produced methane of 98% purity ( Kougias et al, 2017 ). During ex situ biomethanation with mixed cultures, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate and propionate are produced ( Burkhardt and Busch, 2013 ; Alitalo et al, 2015 ; Burkhardt et al, 2015 , 2019 ; Rachbauer et al, 2016 ; Kougias et al, 2017 ; Savvas et al, 2017 ; Strübing et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Yun et al, 2017 ; Ullrich et al, 2018 ). Acetate can be produced from hydrogen and CO 2 via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway of acetogenic bacteria (Eq.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surplus electricity is fluctuating due to seasonal and diurnal changes; therefore, biomethanation requires a flexible process enduring idle periods without performance loss. Recently, the flexibility of the process was systematically investigated with standby periods of 1–8 days and at temperatures of 25 and 55°C ( Strübing et al, 2018 , 2019 ). However, the effect of starvation periods on the microbial communities in ex situ biomethanation is yet to be investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Microbial Communities in Flexible Biomethanation of Hydrogen Are Functionally Resilient Upon Starvation

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ex situ biomethanation allows the conversion of hydrogen produced from surplus electricity to methane. The flexibility of the process was recently demonstrated, yet it is unknown how intermittent hydrogen feeding impacts the functionality of the microbial communities. We investigated the effect of starvation events on the hydrogen consumption and methane production rates (MPRs) of two different methanogenic communities that were fed with hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Both communities showed functional resilience in terms of hydrogen consumption and MPRs upon starvation periods of up to 14 days. The origin of the inoculum, community structure and dominant methanogens were decisive for high gas conversion rates. Thus, pre-screening a well performing inoculum is essential to ensure the efficiency of biomethanation systems operating under flexible gas feeding regimes. Our results suggest that the type of the predominant hydrogenotrophic methanogen (here: Methanobacterium) is important for an efficient process. We also show that flexible biomethanation of hydrogen and carbon dioxide with complex microbiota is possible while avoiding the accumulation of acetate, which is relevant for practical implementation. In our study, the inoculum from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating wastewater from paper industry performed better compared to the inoculum from a plug flow reactor treating cow manure and corn silage. Therefore, the implementation of the power-to-gas concept in wastewater treatment plants of the paper industry, where biocatalytic biomass is readily available, may be a viable option to reduce the carbon footprint of the paper industry.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Communities in Flexible Biomethanation of Hydrogen Are Functionally Resilient Upon Starvation

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rachbauer et al [31] and Burkhardt et al [32,33] assessed the use of a mesophilic hydrogenotrophic mixed microbial culture in a trickle bed reactor for the upgrade of biogas produced from anaerobic digestion with the supply of H2 and showed that the setup could produce a CH4 rich gas following all the prerequisites to be injected in a natural gas grid. Improved methane productivity rates were reported by Strübing et al [34,35] when H2/CO2 methanation was performed under thermophilic conditions with mixed microbial consortia. Alternative reactor configurations reported in literature for syngas biomethanation are reverse membrane bioreactors [36,37] and multi-orifice baffled bioreactors [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Biomethanation of Syngas by Enriched Mixed Anaerobic Consortia in Trickle Bed Reactors

Asimakopoulos

Gavala

Skiadas

2019

Waste Biomass Valor

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

 Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.  You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain  You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.

show abstract

“…The use of such power-to-methane concepts has potential for system integration, however, several challenges associated with the gaseous substrates need to be addressed. Changes in H 2 partial pressure and pH due to addition of H 2 to the anaerobic digestion process can lead to excess organic acid formation and process disturbances [150]. Owing to the poor solubility of H 2 within the liquid phase of the anaerobic digester, gas-liquid mass transfer has been identified as the main limiting factor and mass transfer limitations need to be further reduced for improved gas conversion and productivity [151].…”

Section: Gasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On demand, the hydrogen can be combined with CO 2 and fed to the anaerobic digestion process to biologically convert these gases into methane [149]. This conversion may take place within an existing biogas reactor (in-situ) or in an external reactor (ex-situ) with the latter being more flexible regarding the adjustment of optimal process conditions and adapted reactor configurations [150]. Power-to-gas technologies are still in a developmental stage, a major challenge lies in the up-scaling of the developed reactor systems and technologies to commercial scale.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future Agricultural Biogas Plant in Germany: A Vision

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

After nearly two decades of subsidized and energy crop-oriented development, agricultural biogas production in Germany is standing at a crossroads. Fundamental challenges need to be met. In this article we sketch a vision of a future agricultural biogas plant that is an integral part of the circular bioeconomy and works mainly on the base of residues. It is flexible with regard to feedstocks, digester operation, microbial communities and biogas output. It is modular in design and its operation is knowledge-based, information-driven and largely automated. It will be competitive with fossil energies and other renewable energies, profitable for farmers and plant operators and favorable for the national economy. In this paper we discuss the required contribution of research to achieve these aims.

show abstract

Anaerobic thermophilic trickle bed reactor as a promising technology for flexible and demand-oriented H2/CO2 biomethanation

Cited by 61 publications

References 75 publications

Microbial Communities in Flexible Biomethanation of Hydrogen Are Functionally Resilient Upon Starvation

Microbial Communities in Flexible Biomethanation of Hydrogen Are Functionally Resilient Upon Starvation

Biomethanation of Syngas by Enriched Mixed Anaerobic Consortia in Trickle Bed Reactors

The Future Agricultural Biogas Plant in Germany: A Vision

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About