@article{KaulBoellmannThemaetal., author = {Kaul, Anja and Boellmann, Andrea and Thema, Martin and Kalb, Larissa and Stoeckl, Richard and Huber, Harald and Sterner, Michael and Bellack, Annett}, title = {Combining a robust thermophilic methanogen and packing material with high liquid hold-up to optimize biological methanation in trickle-bed reactors}, series = {Bioresource technology}, volume = {345}, journal = {Bioresource technology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, doi = {10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126524}, abstract = {The hydrogen gas-to-liquid mass transfer is the limiting factor in biological methanation. In trickle-bed reactors, mass transfer can be increased by high flow velocities in the liquid phase, by adding a packing material with high liquid hold-up or by using methanogenic archaea with a high methane productivity. This study developed a polyphasic approach to address all methods at once. Various methanogenic strains and packings were investigated from a microbial and hydrodynamic perspective. Analyzing the ability to produce high-quality methane and to form biofilms, pure cultures of Methanothermobacter performed better than those of the genus Methanothermococcus. Liquid and static hold-up of a packing material and its capability to facilitate attachment was not attributable to a single property. Consequently, it is recommended to carefully match organism and packing for optimized performance of trickle-bed reactors. The ideal combination for the ORBIT system was identified as Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus IM5 and DuraTop (R).}, language = {en} }