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6 Methane and Biogas Waste Utilization
Pages 137-152

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From page 137...
... . Biogas utilization has primarily focused on use of the methane content of the waste gas, so this chapter will treat biogas and methane utilization as a single topic.
From page 138...
... In contrast to steam reforming of methane and partial oxidation of methane to produce syngas, which are mature commercial technologies, dry and tri-reforming of methane are still under active development. Dry reforming of methane (Eq 4)
From page 139...
... DIRECT CHEMICAL UTILIZATION OF METHANE WASTE GAS STREAMS The direct conversion of methane into valuable products is a problem that has fascinated chemists for decades but has not resulted in the development of many industrial processes (Holmen, 2009; Karakaya and Kee, 2016; Schwach et al., 2017)
From page 140...
... The main difficulty in direct methane conversion is that the C–H bonds in methanol are weaker than the C–H bonds in methane and preferentially react under the relatively harsh conditions required to activate the strong C–H bonds in methane. Therefore, high yields of methanol can only be achieved at low conversion.
From page 141...
... The key feature is that the trapping of the methanol in the zeolite protects it from further reaction in a similar way to trapping methanol with sulfuric acid in homogeneous systems. In general, it appears likely that, if an industrially viable system for methane conversion to methanol is to be developed, some kind of protection of the methanol p ­ roduct will be required to achieve high yields and conversion.
From page 142...
... Aromatics Benzene is an important precursor for a range of aromatic compounds including ethyl benzene, 1-methylethylbenzene, cyclohexane, and nitrobenzene. Approximately 43 ­ illion m tons were produced in 2012.
From page 143...
... To successfully implement methanotrophs as industrial hosts for methane conversion there are several fundamental issues that need to be addressed. The metabolic pathways downstream of methane assimilation are largely unknown or poorly understood, making metabolic engineering efforts challenging.
From page 144...
... While current FeedKind production has reached the commercial scale, improvements in metabolic engineering could further enhance this utilization pathway. A joint venture between Calysta, industrial partner CHAIN Biotech, and the University of Nottingham's Synthetic Biology Research Centre is working on a methanotrophic platform to convert methane into polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular the popular supplement omega–3.1 In developmental stages are palatants, probiotics, L-amino acids, and a variety of metabolites.2 The majority of these commodities will require extensive strain improvements and product recovery engineering.
From page 145...
... A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL UTILIZATION OF METHANE AND BIOGAS Methane and biogas utilization can be accomplished via chemical or biological approaches. While little waste gas methane is available for nonfuel chemical utilization, as compared to carbon dioxide in waste gas, research breakthroughs in methane utilization to higher-carbon-number products could displace fuel use of methane, making available very large quantities of feedstock.
From page 146...
... Pilot plant scale is defined as a system validated in a relevant environment and at an engineering scale. Demonstration plant scale is defined as a full-scale system demonstrated in a relevant environment.
From page 147...
... New Targets for Methane Conversion Research exploring methane conversion into commodity chemicals has traditionally focused on a relatively small number of molecules, as outlined in this chapter. The identification of other nontraditional targets and subsequent catalyst development could have transformative impacts.
From page 148...
... Fundamental Research Bench Scale Proof of Concept Pilot Scale Demonstration Scale Limited Commercial Implementation Broad Implementation METHANOTROPHS FIGURE 6-3  Stages of research activity for target products of biological utilization of methane and biogas waste streams. The higher density on the diagram indicates larger amounts of research activity in that stage.
From page 149...
... Scalability Biodegradable plastics: Polyhydroxyalkanoate Scalability, product recovery (Mango Materials) Biological Utilization Priority Research Areas Bioreactor and Cultivation Optimization Technologies concerning system design for efficient methane solvation, mass transfer, and delivery, as well as dewatering, harvesting and product isolation, and water and nutrient ­ management and recycling remain primary challenges at scale and merit additional research efforts.
From page 150...
... 2017. Methane conversion into different hydrocarbons or oxygenates: Current statues and future perspectives in catalyst development and reactor operation.
From page 151...
... 2017. Direct conversion of methane to value-added chemicals over heteroge neous catalysts: Challenges and prospects.


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