Biological methanation in trickle bed reactors - a critical review.

Biological methanation of H and CO in trickle bed reactors is a promising energy conversion and storage approach that can support the energy transition towards a renewable-based system. Research in trickle bed reactor design and operation has significantly increased in recent years, but most studies were performed at laboratory scale and conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the trickle bed reactor concept and current developments to support the decision-making process for future projects.

Biogas upgrading in a pilot-scale trickle bed reactor - Long-term biological methanation under real application conditions.

The biological methanation of H and CO in trickle bed reactors is one promising energy conversion technology for energy storage, but experiences at pilot-scale under real application conditions are still rare. Therefore, a trickle bed reactor with a reaction volume of 0.8 m was constructed and installed in a wastewater treatment plant to upgrade raw biogas from the local digester.

Preliminary gas flow experiments identify improved gas flow conditions in a pilot-scale trickle bed reactor for H and CO biological methanation.

Biological methanation of H and CO is a potential energy conversion technology that can support the energy transition based on renewable sources. The methanation performance in trickle bed reactors can be improved by approaching the gas flow through the reactor towards plug flow. Through preliminary gas flow experiments without biological conversion, this study investigated operational and constructional conditions that enhance plug flow in a pilot-scale trickle bed reactor with 1 m gas volume.