Microbial electrolysis cells and power-to-gas technology - A novel onsite industrial wastewater treatment and CCU arrangement

Industrial development owes its pace to the continued supply of energy; however, this development is also associated with a consequent consumption of water, climate change and environmental degradation. The increased concentration of carbon in the atmosphere and the dwindling clean water resources are posing another potent challenge to the sustained industrial development. The intermittent nature of the renewable energy resources particularly wind and solar energy make their storage difficult. Power-to-gas is perceived to solve this issue of storage of renewable energy through the production of synthetic natural gas. Production of economically viable hydrogen gas and carbon collection and utilization (CCU) are two energy-intensive processes that are essential for the Sabatier reaction in the scheme of power-to-gas. This study proposes a novel model that employs low energy consuming microbial electrolysis cell along with carbon collectors for the production of synthetic natural gas through the Sabatier reaction. Renewable energy resources are proposed to power the MEC as well as the carbon collectors. The model uses the wastewater stream as input to the MEC ultimately delivering hydrogen to the Sabatier reactor. A successful model would be able to treat the wastewater, generate energy in the form of SNG, mitigate climate change and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6, 7, 12, 13 & 14).

Automated summary

Industrial development relies on energy supply, but also leads to water consumption, climate change, and environmental degradation. Finding a way to store renewable energy, such as producing synthetic natural gas through the Power-to-gas scheme, is crucial for sustainable development.