Biological Methanation in an Anaerobic Biofilm Reactor—Trace Element and Mineral Requirements for Stable Operation

Abstract

Biological methanation of carbon dioxide using hydrogen makes it possible to improve the methane and energy content of biogas produced from sewage sludge and organic residuals and to reach the requirements for injection into the natural gas network. Biofilm reactors, so-called trickling bed reactors, offer a relatively simple, energy-efficient, and reliable technique for upgrading biogas via ex-situ methanation. A mesophilic lab-scale biofilm reactor was operated continuously for nine months to upgrade biogas from anaerobic sewage sludge digestion to a methane content >98%. To supply essential trace elements to the biomass, a stock solution was fed to the trickling liquid. Besides standard parameters and gas quality, concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Ni, and Fe were measured in the liquid and the biofilm using ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry) to examine the biofilms load-dependent uptake rate and to calculate quantities required for a stable operation. Additionally, microbial community dynamics were monitored by amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA gene). It was found that all investigated (trace) elements are taken up by the biomass. Some are absorbed depending on the load, others independently of it. For example, a biomass-specific uptake of 0.13 mg·g−1·d−1 for Ni and up to 50 mg·g−1·d−1 for Mg were measured.