Increasing yield of methane by fermentation by hydrogen removal - from ambient gas by methanogenic bacteria in nutrient in separate reactor

摘要

In a mfg. process for methane-contg. fuel gas by anaerobic fermentation of organic materials, population growth of the group of methanogenic bacteria is favoured by fitting a separate hydrogen-removal reactor (I). This pref. contains methanogenic bacteria in a nutrient soln. and gas is circulated to it from the main fermentation vessel, the pre-acidification vessel or both. H2 is converted by the bacteria in (I) to methane, and its concn. is thereby held low in the whole system. The reactor (I) can be quite separate from the pre-acidification or main fermentation vessels, gas being circulated to it by pumping; or it can be a compartment in one of these vessels to which gas transfers by passive diffusion. Fuel gas can thus be made from sewage water, sewage sludge, manure, domestic wastes,c. With H2 concn. held low, methane prodn. is increased and stabilised.