Power to Gas projects review: Lab, pilot and demo plants for storing renewable energy and CO2

Power to Gas (PtG) processes have appeared in the last years as a long-term solution for renewable electricity surplus storage through methane production. These promising techniques will play a significant role in the future energy storage scenario since it addresses two crucial issues: electrical grid stability in scenarios with high share of renewable sources and decarbonisation of high energy density fuels for transportation. There is a large number of pathways for the transformation of energy from renewable sources into gaseous or liquid fuels through the combination with residual carbon dioxide. The high energy density of these synthetic fuels allows a share of the original renewable energy to be stored in the long-term. The first objective of this review is to thoroughly gather and classify all these energy storage techniques to define in a clear manner the framework which includes the Power to Gas technologies. Once the boundaries of these PtG processes have been evidenced, the second objective of the work is to detail worldwide existing projects which deal with this technology. Basic information such as main objectives, location and launching date is presented together with a qualitative description of the plant, technical data, budget and project partners. A timeline has been built for every project to be able of tracking the evolution of research lines of different companies and institutions.

[1]  Dmitry A. Los,et al.  Cyanofuels: biofuels from cyanobacteria. Reality and perspectives , 2015, Photosynthesis Research.

[2]  Robert Pitz-Paal,et al.  Materials-Related Aspects of Thermochemical Water and Carbon Dioxide Splitting: A Review , 2012, Materials.

[3]  Robert Verpoorte,et al.  Renewable energy from Cyanobacteria: energy production optimization by metabolic pathway engineering , 2011, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[4]  Koji Hashimoto,et al.  Global CO2 recycling - Novel materials and prospect for prevention of global warming and abundant energy supply , 1999 .

[5]  Gerda Gahleitner Hydrogen from renewable electricity: An international review of power-to-gas pilot plants for stationary applications , 2013 .

[6]  L.P.L.M. Rabou,et al.  ECN System for MEthanation (ESME) , 2015 .

[7]  Mastering future challenges with gas innovations , 2014 .

[8]  F. Graf,et al.  Renewable Power-to-Gas: A technological and economic review , 2016 .

[9]  Carola Schwiertz,et al.  Methanation of recovered oxyfuel-CO2 from Ketzin and of flue gas emitted by conventional power plants , 2015 .

[10]  W. Chueh,et al.  High‐Flux Solar‐Driven Thermochemical Dissociation of CO2 and H2O Using Nonstoichiometric Ceria. , 2011 .

[11]  C. Sattler,et al.  A review on solar thermal syngas production via redox pair-based water/carbon dioxide splitting thermochemical cycles , 2015 .

[12]  J. Eichman Hydrogen Energy Storage (HES) Activities at NREL; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) , 2015 .

[13]  Michiaki Yamasaki,et al.  Materials for global carbon dioxide recycling , 2002 .

[14]  A. Steinfeld,et al.  Oxygen exchange materials for solar thermochemical splitting of H2O and CO2: a review , 2014 .

[15]  O. Pulz,et al.  Valuable products from biotechnology of microalgae , 2004, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[16]  R. Farrauto,et al.  Dual function materials for CO2 capture and conversion using renewable H2 , 2015 .

[17]  Jonas Baltrusaitis,et al.  Status and perspectives of CO2 conversion into fuels and chemicals by catalytic, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic processes , 2013 .

[18]  George A. Olah,et al.  Electrochemical CO2 Reduction: Recent Advances and Current Trends , 2014 .

[19]  Lisa Rosgaard,et al.  Bioengineering of carbon fixation, biofuels, and biochemicals in cyanobacteria and plants. , 2012, Journal of biotechnology.

[20]  Y. Izumi,et al.  Recent advances in the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels with water and/or hydrogen using solar energy and beyond , 2013 .

[21]  P. Broady,et al.  Enhancing microalgal photosynthesis and productivity in wastewater treatment high rate algal ponds for biofuel production. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[22]  L. Bennamoun,et al.  Drying of alga as a source of bioenergy feedstock and food supplement – A review , 2015 .

[23]  Marc Y Menetrez,et al.  An overview of algae biofuel production and potential environmental impact. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[24]  Grant,et al.  Integrated High-Temperature Electrolysis and Methanation for Effective Power to Gas Conversion , 2019 .

[25]  Jaroslav Doubek,et al.  The chlorococcalean alga Chlorella in animal nutrition: a review , 2014, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[26]  Wan Mohd Ashri Wan Daud,et al.  Photocatalytic CO2 transformation into fuel: A review on advances in photocatalyst and photoreactor , 2014 .

[27]  Muhammad Tahir,et al.  Advances in visible light responsive titanium oxide-based photocatalysts for CO2 conversion to hydrocarbon fuels , 2013 .

[28]  Shaobin Wang,et al.  Research Advances in the Synthesis of Nanocarbon-Based Photocatalysts and Their Applications for Photocatalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Hydrocarbon Fuels , 2014 .

[29]  S. Kent Hoekman,et al.  CO2 recycling by reaction with renewably-generated hydrogen , 2010 .

[30]  Kimfung Li,et al.  A critical review of CO2 photoconversion: Catalysts and reactors , 2014 .

[31]  Jiujun Zhang,et al.  A review of catalysts for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide to produce low-carbon fuels. , 2014, Chemical Society reviews.

[32]  Robert Pitz-Paal,et al.  Technologies and trends in solar power and fuels , 2011 .

[33]  Steven Pratt,et al.  Composting of waste algae: a review. , 2014, Waste management.

[34]  Robert J. Farrauto,et al.  Kinetics of CO2 methanation over Ru/γ-Al2O3 and implications for renewable energy storage applications , 2015 .

[35]  P. Spolaore,et al.  Commercial applications of microalgae. , 2006, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering.

[36]  S. Razzak,et al.  Integrated CO2 capture, wastewater treatment and biofuel production by microalgae culturing—A review , 2013 .

[37]  Qi Zhou,et al.  Simultaneous hydrogen utilization and in situ biogas upgrading in an anaerobic reactor. , 2012, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[38]  Andreas Orth,et al.  Methanation of CO2 - storage of renewable energy in a gas distribution system , 2014, Energy, Sustainability and Society.

[39]  L.P.L.M. Rabou,et al.  SNG quality in Power to Gas applications , 2014 .

[40]  Jiajian Gao,et al.  Recent advances in methanation catalysts for the production of synthetic natural gas , 2015 .

[41]  Hidehiro Sakurai,et al.  How Close We Are to Achieving Commercially Viable Large-Scale Photobiological Hydrogen Production by Cyanobacteria: A Review of the Biological Aspects , 2015, Life.

[42]  Rainer Reimert,et al.  Novel methanation concepts for the production of Substitute Natural Gas (Poster) , 2014 .

[43]  Rainer Reimert,et al.  Improvement of three-phase methanation reactor performance for steady-state and transient operation , 2015 .

[44]  Ibram Ganesh,et al.  Conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol – a potential liquid fuel: Fundamental challenges and opportunities (a review) , 2014 .

[45]  G. Centi,et al.  Catalysis for CO2 conversion: a key technology for rapid introduction of renewable energy in the value chain of chemical industries , 2013 .

[46]  Hee Chul Woo,et al.  Marine brown algae: A conundrum answer for sustainable biofuels production , 2015 .

[47]  P. Biegger,et al.  Entwicklung eines katalytischen Prozesses zur Methanisierung von CO2 aus industriellen Quellen , 2014 .

[48]  Xin Wang,et al.  A review on the electrochemical reduction of CO2 in fuel cells, metal electrodes and molecular catalysts , 2014 .

[49]  Ibram Ganesh,et al.  Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol Using Solar Energy - A Brief Review , 2011 .

[50]  Philip Owende,et al.  Biofuels from microalgae—A review of technologies for production, processing, and extractions of biofuels and co-products , 2010 .

[51]  Ying Li,et al.  Understanding the Reaction Mechanism of Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 with H2O on TiO2-Based Photocatalysts: A Review , 2014 .

[52]  Christoph Herwig,et al.  Essential prerequisites for successful bioprocess development of biological CH4 production from CO2 and H2 , 2015, Critical reviews in biotechnology.

[53]  Wim G. Haije,et al.  Sorption enhanced methanation for substitute natural gas production: Experimental results and thermodynamic considerations , 2014 .

[54]  T. Schildhauer,et al.  Production of synthetic natural gas (SNG) from coal and dry biomass - A technology review from 1950 to 2009 , 2010 .

[55]  M. Götz,et al.  Review on methanation – From fundamentals to current projects , 2016 .

[56]  D. Schmeißer,et al.  Sabatier-based CO2-methanation by catalytic conversion , 2013, Environmental Earth Sciences.

[57]  R. Praveen Kumar,et al.  Aquatic biomass (algae) as a future feed stock for bio-refineries: A review on cultivation, processing and products , 2015 .

[58]  Angel Irabien,et al.  Towards the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol , 2015 .

[59]  M. Burkhardt,et al.  Methanation of hydrogen and carbon dioxide , 2013 .

[60]  Gunnar Benjaminsson,et al.  Power-to-Gas – A technical review , 2013 .

[61]  Jürg Rohrer,et al.  Perspektiven von Power-to-Gas in der Schweiz , 2018 .

[62]  Peter G. Loutzenhiser,et al.  Review of the Two-Step H2O/CO2-Splitting Solar Thermochemical Cycle Based on Zn/ZnO Redox Reactions , 2010, Materials.

[63]  Lukas Schmidt-Mende,et al.  Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 on TiO2 and Other Semiconductors , 2013 .

[64]  Aditya M. Kunjapur,et al.  Photobioreactor Design for Commercial Biofuel Production from Microalgae , 2010 .

[65]  Largus T. Angenent,et al.  A Single-Culture Bioprocess of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus to Upgrade Digester Biogas by CO2-to-CH4 Conversion with H2 , 2013, Archaea.

[66]  H. Vervaeren,et al.  Techniques for transformation of biogas to biomethane , 2011 .

[67]  Mikkel Jørgensen,et al.  The teraton challenge. A review of fixation and transformation of carbon dioxide , 2010 .

[68]  Emily M. Trentacoste,et al.  The place of algae in agriculture: policies for algal biomass production , 2014, Photosynthesis Research.

[69]  Jo‐Shu Chang,et al.  Exploring the potential of using algae in cosmetics. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[70]  Subramaniyan Vijayakumar,et al.  Pharmaceutical applications of cyanobacteria—A review , 2015 .

[71]  Paul J. A. Kenis,et al.  Electrochemical conversion of CO2 to useful chemicals: current status, remaining challenges, and future opportunities , 2013 .

[72]  Koji Hashimoto,et al.  Metastable metals for “green” materials for global atmosphere conservation and abundant energy supply , 1994 .

[73]  K. Izumiya,et al.  The production of renewable energy in the form of methane using electrolytic hydrogen generation , 2014 .

[74]  Andreas Züttel,et al.  Sorption enhanced CO2 methanation. , 2013, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[75]  Hiroyuki Yoshida,et al.  Process application of Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) for algal bio-products and biofuels production , 2015 .

[76]  Se-Kwon Kim,et al.  Marine algae as a potential pharmaceutical source for anti-allergic therapeutics , 2012 .

[77]  Wei Wang,et al.  Recent Advances in Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide , 2011 .

[78]  O. Bernard,et al.  A state of the art of metabolic networks of unicellular microalgae and cyanobacteria for biofuel production. , 2015, Metabolic engineering.

[79]  Paul J. A. Kenis,et al.  Influence of dilute feed and pH on electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO on Ag in a continuous flow electrolyzer , 2015 .

[80]  M. Mercedes Maroto-Valer,et al.  Review of material design and reactor engineering on TiO2 photocatalysis for CO2 reduction , 2015 .

[81]  Klaus Müller,et al.  Sabatier based CO2-methanation of Flue Gas Emitted by Conventional Power Plants , 2013 .

[82]  Jacques Amouroux,et al.  Carbon dioxide: A new material for energy storage , 2014 .

[83]  Arshad Ahmad,et al.  CO2 methanation over heterogeneous catalysts: recent progress and future prospects , 2015 .

[84]  J. W. Dijkstra,et al.  Power-to-Gas coupling to biomethane production: a feasibility study , 2013 .

[85]  Hermann Hofbauer,et al.  Biomass gasification for synthesis gas production and applications of the syngas , 2014 .

[86]  M. Burkhardt,et al.  Biocatalytic methanation of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in an anaerobic three-phase system. , 2015, Bioresource technology.

[87]  Agersborg Jonatan,et al.  Integration of Power-to-Gas in Gasendal and GoBiGas , 2013 .

[88]  Marc Marshall,et al.  Thermal Treatment of Algae for Production of Biofuel , 2013 .

[89]  Samir Bensaid,et al.  Catalytic Performance of γ-Al2O3–ZrO2–TiO2–CeO2 Composite Oxide Supported Ni-Based Catalysts for CO2 Methanation , 2016 .

[90]  Juan Nogales,et al.  Cyanobacteria as photosynthetic biocatalysts: a systems biology perspective. , 2015, Molecular bioSystems.

[91]  M. Weeda,et al.  The hydrogen economy – Vision or reality? , 2015 .

[92]  Yun Qi,et al.  Enhancing the productivity of microalgae cultivated in wastewater toward biofuel production: A critical review , 2015 .

[93]  Robert J. Farrauto,et al.  Catalytic and adsorption studies for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methane , 2014 .

[94]  G. Centi,et al.  Carbon dioxide recycling: emerging large-scale technologies with industrial potential. , 2011, ChemSusChem.

[95]  Hidehiro Sakurai,et al.  Correction: Sakurai, H.; et al. How Close We Are to Achieving Commercially Viable Large-Scale Photobiological Hydrogen Production by Cyanobacteria: A Review of the Biological Aspects. Life 2015, 5, 997–1018 , 2018, Life.

[96]  Andreas Züttel,et al.  Manipulating the reaction path of the CO2 hydrogenation reaction in molecular sieves , 2015 .

[97]  Jean-Michel Savéant,et al.  Catalysis of the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide , 2013 .

[98]  Teresa M. Mata,et al.  Microalgae for biodiesel production and other applications: A review , 2010 .