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Optimization of Thermodynamic Parameters of the Biological Hydrogen Methanation in a Trickle-Bed Reactor for the Conditioning of Biogas to Biomethane

Authors :
Elena Holl
Anastasia Oskina
Urs Baier
Andreas Lemmer
Source :
Energies, Vol 16, Iss 12, p 4720 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

The increased demand for resources and energy that is developing with rising global consumption represents a key challenge for our generation. Biogas production can contribute to sustainable energy production and closing nutrient cycles using organic residues or as part of a utilization cascade in the case of energy crops. Compared to hydrogen (H2), biogas with a high methane (CH4) content can be fed into the gas grid without restrictions. For this purpose, the CH4 content of the biogas must be increased from 52 to 60% after anaerobic digestion to more than 96%. In this study, biological hydrogen methanation (BHM) in trickling-bed reactors (TBR) is used to upgrade biogas. Design of experiments (DoE) is used to determine the optimal process parameters. The performance of the reactors is stable under all given conditions, reaching a “low” gas grid quality of over 90%. The highest CH4 content of 95.626 ± 0.563% is achieved at 55 °C and 4 bar, with a methane formation rate (MFR) of 5.111 ± 0.167 m3/(m3·d). The process performance is highly dependent on the H2:CO2 ratio in the educts, which should be as close as possible to the stochiometric ratio of 4. In conclusion, BHM is a viable approach to upgrade biogas to biomethane quality and can contribute to a sustainable energy grid.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19961073
Volume :
16
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Energies
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.3715661e97d840a9a274ae977cd7341c
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124720