Ex-situ syngas biological methanation (ESB) is an innovative technology for biomethane production that will be demonstrated in the BIOMETHAVERSE project. Forest residues such as treetops and branches, sawdust and recycled wood are carbon sources that are not available for biomethane production using traditional digestion techniques. If the forest residues are first gasified into syngas, it can be further processed into biomethane through biological methanation – a kind of gas fermentation technology. ESB technology thus opens the door for usage of forest residues and other solid biomass as substrates for biomethane production. This greatly increases Sweden’s and Europe’s potential for biomethane production.
ESB will be demonstrated at the Cortus gasification plant in Höganäs, Sweden, and the project involves collaboration between several actors. The mobile ESB pilot plant will be designed and built by RISE and Wärtsilä. In the collaboration, RISE’s early research will be further developed together with Wärtsilä, a technology supplier with industrial experience. Cortus is the syngas producer and landlord for the pilot trials and receives in return applied research on possible income streams from syngas. The microorganisms in the biological process need nutrients. In this project, the nutrients will partly come from the reject water from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) which is then recirculated. Through the process, the nitrogen content in the reject water is lowered and the need for resource-intensive nitrogen reduction at the WWTP is reduced – an important synergy.
The work has finally begun. We have come a long way in the discussion about the location, and we are happy that construction can begin. The aim is to be able to commission the trials on January 1, 2024 with two subsequent years of continuous operation. The goal is to demonstrate the potential of ESB technology to lay the groundworks for future commercialization work.
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