Grant: Alliance Grants

This research proposal aims to contribute to Canada's transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future by focusing on biogas production from organic waste feedstock in Canada. Sustainable bioenergy production will also play an important role in Canada's future energy security. By incorporating concepts of Power-to-Gas (P2G) into anaerobic digestion processes through Hydrogen Biomethanation (HBM) as a biological process where microorganisms convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane and water vapour, it is possible to increase methane generation and methane content of biogas. This results in increasing the energy output of biogas plants, offsetting a significant amount of fossil fuels and mitigating climate change impacts. While this process is gaining academic and industrial traction, there is a knowledge gap concerning in-situ HBM. The research will evaluate the feasibility of HBM and optimize the process and operational conditions, such as hydrogen injection flow rate and frequency, reactor configurations, gas-to-liquid mass transfer, pH, temperature, etc. The outcomes of this research will help Ontario and Canada to further diversify the energy source, and contribute to carbon reduction efforts, directly aligning with provincial and federal mandates. The research will also help increase the revenues of the industrial sector and prepare highly trained skilled personnel.