BIOMETHAVERSE: more biomethane, fewer emissions

Biomethane is a renewable gas that can be produced from sewage sludge, organic waste and agricultural residues. It can also be injected into the traditional transport networks used for methane gas of fossil origin.

In the traditional anaerobic digestion process, however, part of the carbon contained in biogas remains in the form of carbon dioxide and is not converted into energy; liquid and solid residues also require further treatment.

BIOMETHAVERSE tests five innovative pathways across Europe to recover more carbon and increase biomethane production. In the Italian case, self-hosted in Bresso, four technologies work in sequence, transforming sludge, carbon dioxide and nutrients into new resources.

The solutions are being tested in five demonstration plants, using different biological, electrochemical and thermochemical processes. The results will help identify which technologies can be replicated and brought to market.

Partner

BIOMETHAVERSE brings together 22 partners from nine European countries, including plant operators, universities, research centres, technology companies and associations from the biogas value chain.

• Bresso-Niguarda, Italia: four connected units test ozonolysis, co-digestion with microalgae, biological biomethanation and nutrient recovery at Gruppo CAP’s wastewater treatment plant.
• Évron, France: a bioelectrochemical process converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane through the action of microorganisms.
• Lagadas, Greece: carbon dioxide from biogas is combined with renewable hydrogen and converted into methane through a catalytic process.
• Kalmar, Sweden: at the plant operated by More Biogas, synthesis gas obtained from biomass gasification is biologically converted into biomethane.
• Ladyzhyn, Ukraine: hydrogen is injected directly into the digester of an agricultural plant to increase the share of methane produced.