Process optimization for microbial biosynthesis of methane in a trickle-bed reactor for Power-to-Gas applications: the ORBIT-process

This thesis identifies Power-to-Gas in general and biological CO2-methanation in trickle-bed reactors in particular as promising energy storage and sector coupling technologies ready for application but with further oprimization potential.
It reviews the global status and development of Power-to-Gas technology as to be of exponentially growing importance in energy systems changing towards renewable power supply and analyzes optimization and standardization potential for biological CO2-methanation in trickle-bed reactors deriving an improved methanation process.
Process development and experiments on hydrodynamical and biological improvement of such a setup were performed, leading to an optimized combination of a packing and microorganisms in pure culture embedded in the new ORBIT-process. First experimental results give evidence of successful application of different optimization approaches implemented in a technical center scale setup.