In-situ biological biogas upgrading using upflow anaerobic polyfoam
bioreactor (UAPB): operational and biological aspects.
Abstract
A high rate upflow anaerobic polyfoam-based bioreactor (UAPB) was
developed for lab-scale in-situ biogas upgrading. The use of a
porous diffuser, alongside high gas recirculation, led to a higher H
2 liquid mass transfer, and subsequently to a better
uptake for high CH 4 content (up to 90%). Although our
attempts to optimize both operational parameters (H 2
flow rate and gas recirculation ratio) were not successful, at a very
high recirculation ratio (32) and flow rate (54 mL/h), a significant
improvement of the hydrogen consumption was achieved. These operational
conditions have in turn driven the methanogenic community towards the
dominance of Methanosaetaceae, which out-competed
Methanosarcinaceae. Nevertheless, a highly stable methane
production rate was observed despite the methanogenic turnover. During
the different applied operational conditions, the bacterial community
was especially impacted, resulting in substantial shifts of taxonomic
groups. Notably, Aeromonadaceae was the only bacterial group
positively correlated with increasing hydrogen consumption rates. The
capacity of Aeromonadaceae to extracellularly donate electrons
suggests that direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) enhanced
biogas upgrading. Overall, the proposed innovative biological
in-situ biogas upgrading technology using the UAPB configuration
shows promising results for stable, simple and effective biological
biogas upgrading.