Natural gas from the air: unique installations tested in Europe

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The European Union, which intends to become the first climate-neutral region by 2050, has taken another important step towards achieving its goal. Along with the introduction of solar farms and “windmills”, work is underway in Europe to create plants that allow the synthesis of fuel (in particular methane) from renewable sources.

So, in the middle of 2019 in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, within the framework of the STORE & GO project, tests of installations for the extraction of synthetic natural gas from air began. Last week, experts from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology summed up the first results of testing.



During the experiment, three demonstration units were used, which carried out the conversion of a mixture of water with carbon dioxide, first into hydrogen, and then into synthetic methane. It is worth noting that all three devices operated at different reactors: based on the vital functions of microorganisms, with a microstructure and scalable cellular from KIT. In addition, each unit used its own method of producing carbon dioxide, including direct capture from the atmosphere.

As a result, it was possible to verify in practice the effectiveness of each of the plants, and the methane obtained in an “unusual” way was supplied to the city gas distribution network or liquefied. According to the developers, the experiment fully proved the viability of the new system. Thus, it can be recommended for mass use.
6 comments
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  1. AICO
    AICO
    -1
    28 February 2020 12: 08
    Yeah - and they sit behind the mountain and pea from the cans, and then they start up the wind - the installation filters out and voila, methane - this is not propane for you! )
  2. Bakht
    Bakht
    0
    28 February 2020 12: 16
    In any case, this is not the worst news in the world. Factories already exist and work. So the technology is not new. So far, the problem is profitability. So far, plants producing methane from the air are unprofitable.
    1. Cetron
      Cetron
      +1
      29 February 2020 17: 34
      Prepare for the nuclear bombing of Russia! After the war, installations will become cost-effective, as will shale gas and US oil.
  3. Anchonsha
    Anchonsha
    +1
    29 February 2020 21: 41
    Well, as they say, dashing trouble has begun, technology will gradually gain momentum and the cost of extracting combustible gases from the air will decrease. Is there enough air for everyone to produce hydrocarbons? This is not an option.
  4. g1washntwn
    g1washntwn
    +2
    2 March 2020 06: 27
    Profitability ... but has anyone heard about the law of conservation of energy? For burning, it is easier to burn Eurodollars right away, and for the chemical industry, the output will be unbearable. As long as there is natural, it will be the same as with the wind-solar one - without subsidies no one will do this at a loss. All these pseudo-economic mantras are only for the complacency of those who do not have their own wells.
  5. GRF
    GRF
    0
    19 March 2020 19: 51
    So they want to stop burning methane (get away from the "dirty" carbon economy) or change the source of its production?