This review gives a worldwide overview on Power-to-Gas projects producing hydrogen or renewable substitute natural gas focusing projects in central Europe. It deepens and completes the content of previous reviews by including hitherto unreviewed projects and by combining project names with details such as plant location. It is based on data from 153 completed, recent and planned projects since 1988 which were evaluated with regards to plant allocation, installed power development, plant size, shares and amounts of hydrogen or substitute natural gas producing examinations and product utilization phases. Cost development for electrolysis and carbon dioxide methanation was analyzed and a projection until 2030 is given with an outlook to 2050. The results show substantial cost reductions for electrolysis as well as for methanation during the recent years and a further price decline to less than 500 euro per kilowatt electric power input for both technologies until 2050 is estimated if cost projection follows the current trend. Most of the projects examined are located in Germany, Denmark, the United States of America and Canada. Following an exponential global trend to increase installed power, today's Power-to-Gas applications are operated at about 39 megawatt. Hydrogen and substitute natural gas were investigated on equal terms concerning the number of projects.

Power-to-Gas: Electrolysis and methanation status review

https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/219717010/Accpted_version.pdf

In situ Biogas Upgrading by CO2-to-CH4 Bioconversion.

Process performance and microbial community structure in thermophilic trickling biofilter reactors for biogas upgrading

Power-to-Methane as one part of Power-to-Gas has been recognized globally as one of the key elements for the transition towards a sustainable energy system. While plants that produce methane catalytically have been in operation for a long time, biological methanation has just reached industrial pilot scale and near-term commercial application. The growing importance of the biological method is reflected by an increasing number of scientific articles describing novel approaches to improve this technology. However, these studies are difficult to compare because they lack a coherent nomenclature. In this article, we present a comprehensive set of parameters allowing the characterization and comparison of various biological methanation processes. To identify relevant parameters needed for a proper description of this technology, we summarized existing literature and defined system boundaries for Power-to-Methane process steps. On this basis, we derive system parameters providing information on the methanation system, its performance, the biology and cost aspects. As a result, three different standards are provided as a blueprint matrix for use in academia and industry applicable to both, biological and catalytic methanation. Hence, this review attempts to set the standards for a comprehensive description of biological and chemical methanation processes.

/pdf/biological-co2-methanation-an-approach-to-standardization-3kfz8vehfj.pdf

Biological CO2-Methanation: An Approach to Standardization

H2 addition through a submerged membrane for in-situ biogas upgrading in the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge

This research reports the development of a biotrickling filter (BTF) to upgrade biogas, which is achieved by adding H2 to reduce CO2. H2 and CO2 (80:20% vol.) were fed to a bench-scale BTF packed with polyurethane foam (PUF) and inoculated with hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Maximum CH4 production rates recorded were as high as 38 m3
 CH4 m−3
 reactor day−1, which is 5–30 times faster than earlier reports with other kinds of bioreactors. The high rates were attributed to the efficient mass transfer and high density of methanogens in the BTF. The removal efficiencies for H2 and CO2 were 83 and 96%, respectively. 5-Cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride/DAPI staining revealed that 67% of cells were alive near the gas entrance port, while only 8.3% were alive at the exit. Furthermore, DNA sequencing showed that only 27% of the biomass was composed of Euryarchaeota, the phylum which includes methanogens. These two observations suggest that optimizing the methanogen density and activity could possibly reach even higher biogas upgrading rates.

Trisha L. Dupnock

Papers

High-Performance Biogas Upgrading Using a Biotrickling Filter and Hydrogenotrophic Methanogens

Detailed investigations of dissolved hydrogen and hydrogen mass transfer in a biotrickling filter for upgrading biogas

Biological Co-treatment of H2S and reduction of CO2 to methane in an anoxic biological trickling filter upgrading biogas.

Development and Validation of a Comprehensive Model for Biotrickling Filters Upgrading Biogas