Innovative research from North Rhine-Westphalia: Wastewater treatment plants as a building block of the energy transition

From microorganisms to green methane

How can methane, a climate-damaging gas, become an environmentally friendly energy source? Research groups at Ruhr University Bochum are presenting a promising solution: Through an additional technical module, wastewater treatment plants could not only bind CO2_, but also produce methane.

This methane would be compatible with the existing natural gas infrastructure and could cover energy needs – an important step for the energy transition in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond.

In an add-on module that can be adapted to any wastewater treatment plant, microorganisms produce methane by metabolizing CO2_and hydrogen. Research shows that up to 20 liters of methane per day per inhabitant could be produced. Not only would the methane minimize CO2_emissions, but it could also support the natural gas supply.

Source: NMWP.NRW; RUB