External ceramic membrane contactor for in-situ H₂ assisted biogas upgrading

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Microbiology

Background:

• Biological hydrogen (H2)-assisted biogas upgrading offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods.
• Low H2 solubility in water limits the efficiency of current biogas upgrading techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a ceramic membrane contactor module for enhanced H2 injection in biogas upgrading.
• To improve methane (CH4) yield and purity by overcoming H2 solubility challenges.

Main Methods:

• Designed and tested a ceramic membrane contactor module for H2 dissolution.
• Controlled gas supply and sludge recirculation rates for optimal performance.
• Analyzed microbial communities to understand methanogenesis pathways.

Main Results:

• Achieved average 98.8% CH4 biogas quality during stable operation.
• Demonstrated a 108% increase in CH4 production rate compared to baseline.
• Outperformed conventional diffuser sparging (84% CH4) with higher efficiency.
• Identified high abundance of Methanobacterium spp. (95.2%) supporting hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis.

Conclusions:

• The ceramic membrane contactor module is a high-performance solution for biological biogas upgrading.
• The system effectively enhances CH4 production and purity by improving H2 dissolution.
• Coupling this module with anaerobic digestion systems offers a promising approach for efficient biogas upgrading.