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Scaling up biological methanation in trickle bed reactor: performance and techno-economic feasibility analysis.

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Title: Scaling up biological methanation in trickle bed reactor: performance and techno-economic feasibility analysis.
Authors: Chatzis A; Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece; Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Dimitra, Thermi-Thessaloniki 57001, Greece., Xirostylidou A; Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece; Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Dimitra, Thermi-Thessaloniki 57001, Greece., Kontogiannopoulos KN; Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Dimitra, Thermi-Thessaloniki 57001, Greece. Electronic address: k.kontogiannopoulos@elgo.gr., Samaras P; Laboratory of Technologies of Environmental Protection and Utilization of Food By-Products, Department of Food Science and Technology, International Hellenic University, Sindos-Thessaloniki 57400, Greece., Zouboulis AI; Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece., Kougias PG; Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Dimitra, Thermi-Thessaloniki 57001, Greece. Electronic address: p.kougias@elgo.gr.
Source: Bioresource technology [Bioresour Technol] 2026 Jun; Vol. 449, pp. 134414. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 11.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Applied Science Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9889523 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-2976 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09608524 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Bioresour Technol Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Barking, Essex, England : New York, N.Y. : Elsevier Applied Science ; Elsevier Science Pub. Co., 1991-
MeSH Terms: Bioreactors*/economics , Bioreactors*/microbiology , Methane*/metabolism , Methane*/biosynthesis , Biotechnology*/economics , Biotechnology*/methods , Biotechnology*/instrumentation, Hydrogen/metabolism ; Carbon Dioxide/metabolism ; Feasibility Studies
Abstract: Biological methanation in trickle bed reactors (TBRs) offers a sustainable pathway for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) into low-carbon methane (CH4). This study bridges the gap between lab- and industrial-scale deployments by scaling a microbial consortium-optimized TBR system 100-fold (from 1 L to 100 L). Operating under thermophilic conditions (55οC) for 364 days of continuous pilot-scale operation, the pilot system achieved a CH4 purity of greater than 95% at gas retention times (GRTs) as low as 1 h, with peak methane concentration (99.7% CH4) at a 3-hour GRT. Key challenges included metabolic water dilution and low H2 conversion, mitigated by adjusting hydraulic loading rates and nutrient replenishment. Trace metal analysis confirmed the sufficiency of Fe/Ni/Co, although dilution effects emerged at high water production rates. Techno-economic evaluation of the assessed PtM system revealed a baseline production cost of 2.47 €/kg LNG, with performance strongly governed by electricity price and electrolyser efficiency. Under low-cost renewable electricity, bio-LNG cost could fall to ∼ 1.7 €/kg, underscoring the competitiveness of biological methanation.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Biomethanation; Green hydrogen; Pilot-scale operation; Power-to-Methane; Techno-economic assessment
Substance Nomenclature: OP0UW79H66 (Methane)
7YNJ3PO35Z (Hydrogen)
142M471B3J (Carbon Dioxide)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260313 Date Completed: 20260710 Latest Revision: 20260710
Update Code: 20260711
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2026.134414
PMID: 41825566
Database: MEDLINE
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