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Truly Carbon Neutral electricity enhanced Synthesis of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from biomass

Project description

Low-cost, renewable electricity thanks to biomass-based carbon-neutral liquefied natural gas

Between 1990 and 2020, greenhouse gas emissions fell by 32 % across sectors in the EU. The transport sector showed a 7 % increase over the same period. The renewable and non-fossil version of liquefied natural gas, bioLNG, is set to significantly impact non-electrified transport. Produced by processing organic waste flows, it can be made anywhere anaerobic digestion occurs. The EU-funded CarbonNeutralLNG project will up the ante, delivering truly carbon-neutral bioLNG by harnessing low-cost renewable electricity in a proposed hybrid catalytic process. The process will combine chemical catalytic with biological methanation and electromethanogenesis and will directly convert the electrical current to methane via anaerobic respiration in microbes.

Objective

CarbonNeutralLNG targets the truly carbon neutral use of biogenic carbon to replace fossil fuels for the transportation sector with renewable electricity enhanced bioLNG. Non-electric transport will depend on liquid and gaseous energy carriers like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). BioLNG is particularly advantageous as high density liquid fuel for the heavy duty truck and the marine transportation sector. A proposed hybrid catalytic process combines chemical catalytic and biological methanation with electro methanogenesis in order to reduce process complexity and maximise carbon efficiency. Low-cost renewable electricity will be the main driver for reduced marginal costs for the bioLNG’s production.
The experimental work addresses the hybrid catalytic process chain’s main units and focuses on the development and testing of a “Sorption enhanced e-gasifier” (WP1), and additively manufactured “Chemical Catalytic Raw Methanation” reactor (WP2) and the “Biological Methane conditioning” (WP3) by means of biological methanation and electro-methanogensis.
Work packages 4 and 5 will include an “Impact assessment at environmental and socio-economic level” (WP4) and a “Roadmap to replication: market and policy assessment” (WP5). They will mainly address monitoring and avoidance of fugitive methane emissions facing the upcoming Regulation (EU) on “Methane emissions reduction in the energy sector” and will in particular prepare technical and legal recommendations to avoid methane emissions in LNG infrastructures. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based “Advanced Process Control and Scale-up considerations” (WP6) and the operation of the complete process chain will finally provide a proof-of-concept for the proposed process at TRL 3-4.
The work package „Coordination and Dissemination” (WP7) establishes a “Technology transfer and Dissemination Multiplier Board” with stakeholders and policy makers and will include several workshops, conferences and social media communication.

Coordinator

FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITAET ERLANGEN-NUERNBERG
Net EU contribution
€ 709 062,50
Address
SCHLOSSPLATZ 4
91054 Erlangen
Germany

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Region
Bayern Mittelfranken Erlangen, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 709 062,50

Participants (11)

Partners (1)