Title:
Enhancing Biomethanization of Kitchen Waste through Membrane Contactor-mediated Hydrogen Supply
Author(s):
Kalauz-Simon, V., Komáromy, P., Nemestóthy, N., Rózsenberszki, T., Fejes, R., Kovács, K., Bélafi-Bakó, K.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
Power-to-methane technology can be a promising solution for long-term storage of intermittent renewable energies. Using kitchen waste as biomass feedstock in power-to-methane technology integrates kitchen waste's anaerobic digestion and converting green hydrogen into methane while simultaneously capturing carbon dioxide. Biomethanization is the core process of power-to-methane technology. The availability of hydrogen to hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea, the biomethanization catalysts, significantly influences methane formation efficiency in anaerobic digestion. Therefore, the poor hydrogen solubility in aqueous media represents a significant bottleneck in this process. Overcoming this limitation by finding an optimal reactor design that improves hydrogen availability to methanogens is crucial for enhanced biomethanization. Hydrogen can be dissolved directly into the reaction mixture using a membrane contactor, which is expected to promote the development of technologically beneficial microbial processes and methane formation. Mesophilic anaerobic fermentation experiments were conducted to evaluate the biogas production capacity of kitchen waste and the effect of hydrogen supply, mediated by a PDMS membrane contactor, on biomethanization performance. The results indicated that hydrogen injection through a PDMS membrane significantly enhanced the methane content. Specifically, with a hydrogen injection rate of 385 NmL/d, headspace methane concentrations reached 98 ± 1.12%. An overall methane content of 76 ± 0.5% was achieved in the total biogas produced, which means an approximately 12.5% increase compared to the control reactors (without hydrogen supply). The observed biogas yield from kitchen waste (1300 NmL biogas/g VS) aligns with existing literature, confirming its potential as a promising biogas feedstock.
Keywords:
biomethanization, kitchen waste, hydrogen injection
Topic:
Biomass Conversion for Bioenergy
Subtopic:
Anaerobic digestion for biogas and biomethane production
Event:
33rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4CV.5.37
Pages:
838 - 842
ISBN:
978-88-89407-25-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/33rdEUBCE2025-4CV.5.37
Price:
FREE
