METHOD AND FACILITY FOR PRODUCING METHANE IN A PHOTOBIOREACTOR

摘要

The invention relates to a method for producing methane by culturing algae and methanogenic microorganisms, and to a facility for carrying out the process. The essence of the invention is a photobioreactor which directly generates methane from two zones composed of sunlight and an oxygen-enriched and carbon-dioxide-depleted gas mixture. The reaction is carried out in two sub steps which take place in two different zones. In the first, aerobic part, glycolate is synthesized in algal cells by photosynthesis, and this glycolate is excreted by the cells. The algae form a biofilm on a support material, which biofilm is firstly supplied by nutrients with the aid of a continuous or semicontinuous stream of liquid and secondly transfers the excreted glycolate into the second zone. This compartment is anaerobic due to an oxygen-impermeable membrane and comprises methanogenic bacteria, which directly convert the introduced glycolate into methane.