TY - JOUR

T1 - Production and upgrading of biogas through controlled hydrogen injection for renewable energy storage

AU - Cuff, G.

AU - Nelting, K.

AU - Trautmann, N.

AU - Mohammad-pajooh, E.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - To augment renewable energy production and utilize surplus wind energy during low-demand intervals, hydrogen produced through electrolysis may be injected into anaerobic digesters in order to increase the energetic content of biogas through promotion of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis (4H2 + CO2 → CH4 + 2H2O). In this work bubble-free hydrogen injection was investigated in at pilot scale using various membranes. The reactor was then inoculated with anaerobic sludge from a municipal digester which had been pre-adapted to elevated H2 levels; due to selective methanogenesis and simultaneous CO2 removal, gas phase methane concentrations initially increased by a factor of 36% over the theoretical maximum from the anaerobic degradation of glucose during continuous tests. However, a shift in the acid spectrum toward propionate and a deficit in acetate led to intermittent periods during which diminished acetoclastic methanogenesis reduced overall biogas production. Maximum H2 dosing rates were derived for anaerobic digestion of glucose.

AB - To augment renewable energy production and utilize surplus wind energy during low-demand intervals, hydrogen produced through electrolysis may be injected into anaerobic digesters in order to increase the energetic content of biogas through promotion of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis (4H2 + CO2 → CH4 + 2H2O). In this work bubble-free hydrogen injection was investigated in at pilot scale using various membranes. The reactor was then inoculated with anaerobic sludge from a municipal digester which had been pre-adapted to elevated H2 levels; due to selective methanogenesis and simultaneous CO2 removal, gas phase methane concentrations initially increased by a factor of 36% over the theoretical maximum from the anaerobic degradation of glucose during continuous tests. However, a shift in the acid spectrum toward propionate and a deficit in acetate led to intermittent periods during which diminished acetoclastic methanogenesis reduced overall biogas production. Maximum H2 dosing rates were derived for anaerobic digestion of glucose.

KW - Anaerobic digestion

KW - Biogas upgrading

KW - Energy storage

KW - Gibbs free energy

KW - Hydrogen conversion

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078806496&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.biteb.2019.100373

DO - 10.1016/j.biteb.2019.100373

M3 - Article

VL - 9

JO - Bioresource Technology Reports

JF - Bioresource Technology Reports

IS - 100373

M1 - 100373

ER -