Biomethanation & Methanogenesis

Since 2012 we optimise the process of biological methanation by harnessing the power of naturally occurring microbes, namely archaea. These smart little creatures are able to form methane (CH4) by consuming only hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact. the basic reaction of the archaea is analogous to the chemical “Sabatier process” :
Balance CO2 (g) + 4H2 (g) --> CH4 + 2 H2O
Molar 1  mol 4  mol 1 mol 2 mol
Volumetric 1 Nm3 4 Nm3 1 Nm3
Mass 2.75 kg 0.5 kg 1 kg 2.25 kg
Energy (HHV) 0 kWh 14.16 kWh 11.06 kWh 0 kWh
Our process is a CO2 based biological methanation process (CO2-BMP) which uses archaea microorganisms as biological catalysts to perform a carbon activation and methanation reaction which converts hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) directly into methane (CH4), water (H2O), energy and biomass (the biocatalyst and/or additional product).

In this bioprocess, the only carbon source fed to the bioreactor is CO2 and the biocatalyst “eats” it while breathing H2 to self replicate by exhaling CH4 and water . The bioprocess is operated using a defined, cheap and sustainable, medium containing few inorganic salts and the bioprocess can be operated either continuously or intermittently.

The process offers competitive advantages in comparison with the traditional chemical Sabatier process as well as the possibility to integrate additional valorisation lines to biological products with the selection of project specific gas converting hosts. Additionally, this process platform is highly compatible with most pollutants found in several real industrial gas streams.

The technology can be deployed in various industrial or decentralized frames where hydrogen and/or CO2 are available by insourcing from us a B2B process license and the appropriate technology transfer package designed to suit your needs. Once the process is deployed, we assist you with automation, up and down stream integration to fit purity or specific operational requirements and continue with your operators training.

Industrial  applications

  • Raw biogas upgrade to increase biomethane yield of biogas plants
  • Power to gas for storage of renewable electricity and grid balancing services
  • Production of carbon-neutral natural gas directly from your CO2 emissions
  • Valorisation of waste Hydrogen streams e.g. from the steel or chemical industry
  • Decentralized energy storage solution compatible with the summer-to-winter renewable electricity bridge
  • Intermediate production of methane (high quality) for subsequent synthesis of value-added products (i.e. green methane chemistry)
  • Process vector for Industrial optimization of energy integrations and carbon footprint of your production lines

Process Advantages

  • Mild operating conditions
  • High volumetric production and conversion rates
  • High selectivity - tunable selectivities towards products (>95%)
  • Stable, Adaptative & Autonomously controlled
  • Tolerance against a wide range of impurities
  • Compatible with retrofitting of existing chemical reactors
  • Single-step vs multi-step reaction/conversion process designs (optimized to your needs)
  • Auto-biocatalytic process (catalyst renewing itself and being a product)
  • Tunable operational purities depending on your needs (Process flexibility)
  • Low media demands, CO2 = sole carbon source
  • Sustainable “green” process (REACH compliant)
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