Synthetic natural gas production directly from flue gas as alternative energy and feedstock for the iron and steel industry
Off-gases from steel production contain significant amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and, to a lesser extent, hydrogen. Biological methanation, or biomethanation, can convert these off-gases into synthetic natural gas (SNG). In the global context of the industry's transition to carbon neutrality, SNG can partially substitute fossil fuels for energy supply and process needs, i.e., natural gas, coal, and coke. This study provides an assessment of the mesophilic biomethanation process as a means of fermenting off-gases from the steel industry using a trickle-bed reactor (TBR). The TBR, inoculated with anaerobic granular sludge and operated under mesophilic conditions, converted blast furnace gas, basic oxygen furnace gas, and coke oven gas with high efficiency and yield.
Off-gases from steel production contain significant amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and, to a lesser extent, hydrogen. Biological methanation, or biomethanation, can convert these off-gases into synthetic natural gas (SNG). In the global context of the industry's transition to carbon neutrality, SNG can partially substitute fossil fuels for energy supply and process needs, i.e., natural gas, coal, and coke. This study provides an assessment of the mesophilic biomethanation process as a means of fermenting off-gases from the steel industry using a trickle-bed reactor (TBR). The TBR, inoculated with anaerobic granular sludge and operated under mesophilic conditions, converted blast furnace gas, basic oxygen furnace gas, and coke oven gas with high efficiency and yield.
National Research Council Canada, Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre