Ash-to-Gas - Microbiological Methanation with hydrogen and nutrient solution out of the thermal gasification of biomass and its residues (Ash-to-Gas)
Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: Ash-to-Gas
Start date : 15.12.2014
End date : 14.12.2017
Website: https://www.evt.tf.fau.de/forschung/forschungsschwerpunkte/2nd-generation-fuels/ash-to-gas/
Project details
Short description
The project Ash2Gas is in cooperation with the start-up company Micropyros and the institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT. In cooperation with the project partners, a mobile fermenter is currently under construction and integrated into an allothermic gasifier at the chair in Nürnberg. The Proof of Concept is carried out on the TCR® gasifier at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. The nutrient supply is ensured either by supplying it directly to the ash particles from the gasifier or to the coke from the TCR® process respectively, or by a separate mixing of a slurry.
With this concept, the microorganisms are gradually accustomed to the product gas of the gasifier or to the TCR® process. The experiments are carried out with a feedstock based on wood, straw and road. The amount of carbon monoxide and long-chained hydrocarbons which can be converted and is further analysed. At the same time, the extent to which heavy metals (mercury, chromium, lead, cadmium) can be enriched by a biofilter effect in the fermenter is to be investigated. This makes it possible to deposit the bacteria safely on x and to withdraw them from the circuit.
Scientific Abstract
Biological methanation is an important approach to replace fossil fuels with renewables. Biological methanation describes the transformation of feed gas to methane through specific microorganisms.
Most biogas plants produce a product gas consisting mainly of methane and carbon dioxide.The latter is then separated by gas scrubbing to reach the requirements of the natural gas which are necessary for the system. A new approach is to convert carbon dioxide to methane through a metabolic process called methanogenesis. Hydrogen, which is further added to a fermenter, increases the hydrogen and carbon dioxide formation for certain strains of bacteria and archaea. This method is used in context with power-to-gas plants. A similar approach to provide hydrogen and carbon dioxide is to convert biomass with e.g. a heat pipe reformer or through TCR® process. The product gas is methanised in a downstream fermenter. The essential advantage, which is also the essential challenge of this method, is to provide the nutrients for the microorganisms through the ash of the gasifier.
The project Ash2Gas is in cooperation with the start-up company Micropyros and the institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT. In cooperation with the project partners, a mobile fermenter is currently under construction and integrated into an allothermic gasifier at the chair in Nürnberg. The Proof of Concept is carried out on the TCR® gasifier at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. The nutrient supply is ensured either by supplying it directly to the ash particles from the gasifier or to the coke from the TCR® process respectively, or by a separate mixing of a slurry.
With this concept, the microorganisms are gradually accustomed to the product gas of the gasifier or to the TCR® process. The experiments are carried out with a feedstock based on wood, straw and road. The amount of carbon monoxide and long-chained hydrocarbons which can be converted and is further analysed. At the same time, the extent to which heavy metals (mercury, chromium, lead, cadmium) can be enriched by a biofilter effect in the fermenter is to be investigated. This makes it possible to deposit the bacteria safely on x and to withdraw them from the circuit.
