Process and device for the production of methane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435344-B2
Application number	US-202017602556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	Apr 8, 2019
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing methane and to the device for producing methane, making it possible to increase the methane content of the outgoing gas and preferably simultaneously to increase the methane content of the outgoing gas and the productivity of the reactor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ex-situ process for producing methane, comprising:
a step (a), in a first bioreactor comprising methanogenic microorganisms in a liquid medium, of production of a gas mixture comprising methane, comprising bringing said microorganisms into contact with incoming gases;
a step (b), in a second bioreactor, of methane enrichment of the gas mixture obtained in step (a), comprising transferring, from the first bioreactor to the second bioreactor, the gas mixture obtained in step (a) and at least a portion of the liquid medium contained in the first bioreactor, so as to increase the methane content in the gas mixture.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the transfer of said liquid medium is carried out by sampling said liquid medium in the first bioreactor and then by injecting said liquid medium into the upper part of the second bioreactor so that said liquid medium circulates by gravity in the second bioreactor and is recovered in the first bioreactor.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, in the first bioreactor, the liquid medium is a continuous liquid phase into which the incoming gases are injected, and in that the second bioreactor contains a continuous gas phase.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the microorganisms are chosen from hydrogenotrophic methanogenic microorganisms, homoacetogenic microorganisms and acetoclastic methanogenic microorganisms or a mixture of these microorganisms.

5. The process as claimed claim 1 , characterized in that the incoming gases are CO 2 and H 2 .

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that H 2 and CO 2 can also be injected into the second bioreactor.

Assignees

• Institut Nat Des Sciences Appliquees De Toulouse
• Centre National De La Rech Scientifique—Cnrs
• Institut National De Rech Pour Lagriculture Lalimentation Et Lenvironnement Inrae
• Enosis

Inventors

• Rafrafi Yan
• Dumas Claire
• Mengelle Evrard
• Dubos Simon
• Bounouba Mansour
• Delagnes Delphine
• Lefebvre Xavier
• Sperandio Mathieu
• Palmade Stéphane
• Guerre Vincent
• Contreras Viviana

Classifications

• C12M29/06

  Nozzles; Sprayers; Spargers; Diffusers (per se B01F23/231, B01J19/26) · CPC title

• C12M29/02

  Percolation · CPC title

• C12M23/58

  Reaction vessels connected in series or in parallel (combinations of bioreactors with other apparatus, C12M43/00) · CPC title

• C12M21/04

  for producing gas, e.g. biogas (digesters for manure with production of biogas A01C3/028, biological treatment of water, waste water or sewage C02F3/00, C02F11/02, preparation of natural gas or syngas C10L3/06, C10L3/10) · CPC title

• Y02E50/30

  Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel · CPC title