DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF H2-DRIVEN BIOREACTORS AND ADVANCED MONITORING TOOLS FOR THE VALORIZATION OF C AND S FROM LIQUID AND GASEOUS STREAMS

The European Green Deal proposes the transformation of EU into a modern, resource efficient and competitive economy through the establishment of policies and developments, amongst others, for cleaner energies and cutting-edge clean technological innovation. Green H2 obtained from renewables has been identified to play a crucial role in such transformation. In this framework, GALILEI targets the development of efficient, robust and environmentally friendly biotechnologies based on the use of green H2 as a powerful electron donor for the recovery of energy and resources out of gaseous and liquid streams. Biofilm-based bioreactors have been identified as the future technology to provide the intensity needed to cope with marketable processes.
However, the special characteristics of H2, a very hydrophobic compound, makes its use in bioreactors very challenging to produce biotechnologies able to reach the market with warranties. Still an important lack of knowledge exists in the formation and evolution of biofilms and granular biomass as well as in the design and operation of biofilm/granular-based bioreactors, especially in the characterization of biofilms structure and the internal and external mass transfer. In this sense, development and validation of advanced monitoring and modelling tools are key for improving knowledge about the fundamental phenomena occurring in bioreactors and in biofilms and granules.
Provided that green H2 production from renewables will be available as a premise considering the current national and EU commitments and policies, GALILEI basis for success is that attainment of energy and added-value products recovery through H2-based bioreactors requires of combining 1) the comprehensive study and characterization of compact and robust H2-driven bioreactors for gaseous and liquid waste streams valorization 2) the development and validation of specific monitoring tools for H2 as well as chemical species of the Scycle, 3) the development and validation of a modular library of mathematical models of the unit processes and bioreactors under analysis, and 4) the application of 1), 2) and 3) to develop fundamental knowledge of biofilm- and granular-based systems to bust the application of H2-driven advanced bioreactors
HEURA pursues the development of low-cost, environmentally friendly technologies for gaseous and liquid streams valorization based on the use of H2 produced from electrical surplus produced from renewables. HEURA proposes the use of H2-based bioreactors sustained in biofilms and granular biomass for both for the production of biomethane from a range of CO2 sources such as fermentation off-gases, biogas or combustion gases; and for the recovery of biosulfur from S-rich streams. Concepts such as decarbonization, power-to-gas, circular economy and bioeconomy are embraced within HEURA.
However, the use of H2 in bioreactors is challenging to produce biotechnologies able to reach the market with warranties. An important lack of knowledge exists in the formation and evolution of biofilms and granular biomass as well as in the design and operation of biofilm/granular-based bioreactors, HEURA targets the study of H2-based advanced bioreactors, the characterization of biological activity of microbial cultures involved and the development and validation of advanced analytical techniques for bioreactors monitoring to acquire knowledge of the unit processes and bioreactors under study.
Hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea promoted in membrane biofilm reactors and hydrogenotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria grown in gas-lift reactors are the biotechnologies that will be developed in HEURA. Complementary, advanced monitoring tools and reliable sensors and sensing platforms for hydrogen sulfide, sulfate and dissolved hydrogen will be developed and validated to acquire knowledge of the bioreactors and fundamental processes.
As part of the coordinated project GALILEI, the results obtained in the operation of the bioreactors as well as the monitoring tools developed in HEURA will integrated with more fundamental studies performed by BIGDEAL project for a comprehensive characterization of the technologies tested. HEURA will be an excellent training platform for future PhD students, where both fundamental and engineering aspects in the field of circular bioeconomy applied to the valorization of gaseous and liquid effluents will be considered. HEURA also has the potential to have a high socio-economic impact in terms of influencing issues related to the fight against climate change. HEURA also raises all aspects related to gender equality and an exhaustive treatment of data management.