Successful Test Campaign for Three-Phase Methanation of bioliq® Synthesis Gas

Synthesis gas produced by bioliq® gasification was successfully converted to methane in the three-phase methanation process (see Fig. 1) for the first time at Energy Lab 2.0 in week 11. During this test campaign, also a newly developed activation method for the methanation catalyst used at EBI ceb was tested, which can significantly increase the overall efficiency of the three-phase methanation. Emphasis is put on CO2-neutrality: through the real operation of the process chain set up at Energy Lab 2.0, starting from biomass, via its gasification and subsequent catalytic methanation to the regeneratively produced methane, a further process chain in the direction of the energy turnaround and CO2 neutrality could be demonstrated.

By incorporating biomass as a C source, the synthesis gas used in the methanation process is regenerative and CO2-neutral, making it an ideal feedstock for the production of regenerative gases through three-phase methanation. The carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the synthesis gas were converted stably and almost entirely to methane (CH4) during several hours of experimentation. Nevertheless, for the availability of bioliq® synthesis gas is still limited, long-term trials could not be carried out. In this test campaign, however, it was demonstrated  for the process chain that CH4 can be produced with high selectivity from lignin-rich agricultural by- and waste products can also be fed into the natural gas grid. Especially under the framework conditions of the energy transition and the current political tensions, the replacement of fossil natural gas by synthetic methane as a "drop-in" fuel is of high social relevance.