As part of the ORBIT II project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Affairs, experts in the field of methanation gathered at the University Regensburg from October 5th to 6th, 2023 for the interdisciplinary workshop “Advances in biological methanation: Microbes as game changers for a sustainable future “.
In the first session, renowned scientists highlighted the scientific basis of methanogenesis. Harald Huber from Microbify GmbH outlined the development of methanogen cultivation from Hungate’s early attempts to modern state-of-the-art techniques. Michael Rother from the Technical University Dresden provided in-depth insights into the metabolism of methanogenic archaea.
The second session started with Bastian Molitor from the University Tübingen, who discussed genetic modifications of Methanothermobacter, followed by Guillaume Borrell from the Pasteur Institute, who deepened the understanding of the evolution of these microorganisms.
In the third session, Nicolas Plumeré from the Technical University Munich as well as Florian Mayer, DECHEMA, now Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, and Cornelia Welte from the Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen discussed electrobiocatalysis from basic research to application in wastewater treatment.
The lectures were followed by a poster session and tours of the ORBIT reactor at the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg and the Biotechnikum at the Chair of Microbiology. In addition, legal issues, reactor conditions and perspectives for biological methanation were discussed in parallel in three different workshops. In particular, the fact that both industry representatives and researchers took part led to particularly fruitful discussions.
Friday was dedicated to the practical application of biological methanation. Experts such as Robert Bauer and Marianna Luongo from MicroPyros BioEnerTec GmbH emphasized the importance of flexible bioreactors. Daniel Eckl from the University of Regensburg presented the ORBIT II project with a focus on the biological aspects. Linda Dengler from Microbify GmbH showed that special reactors are not necessarily required for biological methanation and that underground storage can also provide suitable conditions.
Further lectures by Konrad Koch from the Technical University of Munich and Michael Lebhuhn from the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture (LfL) highlighted efficient methanation reactors and the microbial composition of such reactors. Robin Gerlsbeck from Stadtwerke Pfaffenhofen concluded the event with a statement on the integration of methanation into municipal energy concepts.
The conference ended with the awarding of the poster prize (sponsors: Microbify GmbH and Fördernde der Molekularbiologie Regensburg), which Kathrin Rettinger from OTH Regensburg was pleased to receive for her outstanding work on identifying suitable locations for methanation reactors. Annett Bellack closed the conference with a review of the presentations. Particular attention was therefore paid to interdisciplinary exchange, which is of great importance for biological methanation. This networking of different disciplines is important in order to bring biological methanation to market maturity as an alternative technology for the use of renewable energy.
For those interested who missed this event, please refer to the 3rd ORBIT workshop in early summer 2024, which will take place at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Author: Dr Daniel Eckl