Principal Investigator: Assoc. Prof. Yasemin Dilşad Yılmazel Tokel

Institution(s): METU

Strategic Target Name: To develop the bioreactor prototype, which produces biogas from biomass with high efficiency, stability and speed through bioelectrochemical process integration, at TRL 6 level with a fully automated and digital platform that offers real-time monitoring, and to make it ready for pilot-scale application in the field by the end of 2025.

Field of Activity of the Project: Renewable energy (bioenergy), bioreactor design/manufacturing, internet of things application, smart automation, nutrient recovery

Project Summary: The strategic and economic importance of advanced technology in bioenergy production is increasing. In the growing bioenergy production market, it is very important to implement the most advanced biotechnology quickly and effectively by integrating it with current and modern communication / process control techniques. The goal of our project is to develop a sustainable biotechnological process that will produce renewable energy from biomass containing agricultural waste, compatible with national development goals and the EU green deal program.

In our project, it is aimed to develop a nutrient recovery prototype that enables methane-rich biogas to be obtained through a bioelectrochemical process that is (i) highly efficient, (ii) low-cost, (iii) waste materials are used, (iv) does not require pre-treatment of biomass and (v) is fully automated and to obtain value-added products from the bioelectrochemical process outputs. With the developed prototypes, the need for fossil-based raw materials will be minimized, materials that need to be disposed of as waste and residue will be eliminated, and renewable energy will be obtained through clean production. In the project, a system that provides methane gas production from renewable biomass with high efficiency, stability and speed will be developed by integrating the anaerobic digestion (AD) process, a well-established process, and electromethanogenesis, a newly developed bioelectrochemical process.

In the light of realistic data obtained from the prototype reactors created in our project, it is aimed to carry out carbon balance, life cycle analysis and techno -economic analysis for this pioneering and holistic bioenergy production process.

Project Team:

Ayşe Ece Akay Demir - GTE Karbon - Researcher (Project management, life cycle analysis, circular economy)

Timur Dunaev - Veolia Water Technologies, ABD - Consultant (Industrial anaerobic biotechnology, field engineer, business development specialist)

Berkan Öden - METU - Employee

Ulaş Yüzendağ - METU - Researcher (Undergraduate Student)

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