Testing novel multicomposite materials for electromethanogenesis

Giorgia Ghiara,Pierangela Cristiani,Stefano Trasatti,Andrea Goglio,V Cigolotti

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202233408012

Giorgia Ghiara, Pierangela Cristiani + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233408012

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Abstract

Electromethanogenesis is an innovative technology that uses a microbial electrochemical system to produce methane from CO2, in a power-to-gas (BEP2G) concept. The results of experimental tests of new and cost-effective carbonaceous materials for electrode are presented here. The study aims at optimizing electromethanogenesis processes at laboratory level in mesothermic condition. As part of the experiments, hydrogenotrophic microorganisms (Family Metanobacteriaceae of Archaea domains) were selected from a mixed consortium taken from a biogas digestate and inoculated in double-chamber bioelectrochemical systems. The maximum amount of methane produced was 0.3 - 0.8 mol/m2g (normalized to the cathode area) with carbon cloth electrodes. Aiming at improving the methane productivity, innovative materials for the electrodes were now studied, creating porous high-surface composites, and studying nitrogen carbons doped with Cu and hydroxyapatite (Multicomposite Cu@/HAP/C), as chemical catalysts for CO2 reduction (CO2RR). The description of the procedure for the Multicomposite Cu@/HAP/C production is reported in detail.

Highlights

Electromethanogenesis called bioelectrochemical power-to-gas (BEP2G) is an innovative technology for storing renewable electricity in the form of methane, alternative to both biochemical methanogenesis and thermochemical methanation (Sabatier process) [1,2]
The pyrolysis procedure of the material was carried out according to the following protocol: 2 hours at 25 °C, slow heating (10 °C/min) up to 900 °C, 1 h held at 900 °C and cooling down to 25 °C according to [24]
Donax samples were weighted before and after pyrolysis to verify the success of the procedure

Summary

Introduction

Electromethanogenesis called bioelectrochemical power-to-gas (BEP2G) is an innovative technology for storing renewable electricity in the form of methane, alternative to both biochemical methanogenesis and thermochemical methanation (Sabatier process) [1,2]. The most widespread and most metabolically efficient process for energy generation is the hydrogenotrophic one [9,10] Using electricity, methanogenesis can be achieved using only carbon dioxide and bicarbonate as the only source of carbon and, it can be coupled to both the abiotic oxidation of water and the abiotic, or microbial, oxidation of organic molecules [11,12,13] According to this set-up, microorganisms catalyze the reduction of carbon dioxide introduced into the cathode chamber to methane on a polarized cathode, which donates electrons following reaction (1): CO2+8H++ 8e- = CH4+2H2O (1)

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