Scientists at the Norwegian Institute of BIOeconomy Research (NIBIO) have achieved a significant milestone in sustainable energy, converting carbon-based gases like CO2 directly into biomethane with 96% purity.
The core of their innovation is the strategic engineering of biofilms—complex communities of microorganisms that adhere to a surface. Unlike traditional biogas plants that rely on general decomposition, this process uses the biofilm to perform a targeted conversion of gas streams into nearly pure methane.
Overcoming Industrial Bottlenecks
A critical challenge in biogas production is the presence of impurities like hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia, which are common when using animal or food waste and can degrade methane output. The NIBIO researchers, led by scientist Lu Feng, utilized an Anaerobic Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (AnMBBR) to create a more stable and efficient process.
The results are compelling: biofilm-based reactors maintained high methane quality even with extremely high H2S content, while systems without this biofilm technology lost up to 30% of their methane yield under similar conditions.
New Frontiers: Plastic and Wood Waste
The team has also pushed the technology beyond conventional applications by using these engineered biofilms to process historically difficult substrates. They have successfully produced syngas—a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide—from unconventional materials like woody biomass and plastic waste, which typically resist degradation in standard bioprocesses.
While the addition of hydrogen was shown to increase methane production, the process requires careful control to maintain balance. This underscores the need for precise engineering to scale the technology for industrial use.
This biofilm-based approach represents a robust and flexible platform for future renewable energy, offering a tangible path to reducing harmful emissions while creating a valuable, high-purity fuel.