R&I Special
COULD MAKE AD MORE AFFORDABLE By Dr Alba Serna-Maza, Research Fellow within the Engineering and Environment Department at the University of Southampton
Researchers led by the University of Southampton are investigating ways to improve the methane content of biogas by combining anaerobic digestion with hydrogen produced through electrolysis from renewable sources such as wind turbines and solar panels. Such a system would convert any electricity over-production from these technologies into gas, which could be used in a number of ways, including injection into the gas grid or for use as a vehicle fuel. This combination of renewable driven, electrolytic hydrogen production and anaerobic digestion can produce biomethane at greater than 95 per cent purity.
The primary metabolic pathway that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methane is known as hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. In addition to increasing the methane yield by 40 per cent and maximising the conversion of the available carbon in the waste biomass, hydrogen injection also has the potential to reduce the methane slippage characteristic of existing physicochemical biogas upgrading technologies.
A range of process configurations is possible, with carbon supplied from external or internal sources. In all cases, the gas-liquid mass transfer of hydrogen, the biomass growth and present microorganism population have been identified as the limiting factors. This multi-faceted research challenge can be solved with a combination of engineering and microbiological understanding of the system.
As part of the research team led by Professor Charles Banks, our target is to develop the system for use where there is a large potential to integrate it into existing infrastructure and maximise the use of process heat and other by-products. The technology could even be used at a smaller scale on farms, where there is an abundant supply of waste biomass and a lack of suitable biogas upgrading plant. It has the potential to significantly improve the economics of the AD process.
This research partnership was brokered through the AD Network and is funded by an Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst grant from the Biological and Biosciences Research Council.
Combining AD with hydrogen produced through electrolysis from wind turbines could increase the methane content of biogas
Biomethanation of hydrogen could make small scale on-farm AD more affordable
HOW BIOMETHANATION OF HYDROGEN
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SPRING 2017 | AD & BIORESOURCES NEWS
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