Methods for curtailing biogenic methane emissions using pyrogenic carbon
AssigneeUniversity of Delaware
InventorsPei Chiu, Danhui XIN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing methane emitted from an anaerobic ecosystem comprising a microbial source prone to methanogenesis. The method comprising adding a quantity of pyrogenic carbon (PC), such as biochar, as a terminal electron acceptor to promote anaerobic respiration and suppress methanogenesis. In one embodiment, the biochar is added in at least a quantity corresponding to a ratio of unit weight PC for each mmol of methane otherwise expected to be produced and desired to be reduced from the anaerobic ecosystem, wherein the ratio equals A*0.125*ESC*BC per mol methane reduction, wherein: A=ESC bioavailability factor; ESC=electrons accepted in mol/unit weight; and BC=unit weight of BC.
Claims27
A method for reducing an amount of methane emitted from an anaerobic ecosystem comprising a microbial source prone to methanogenesis, the method comprising adding at least an effective quantity of pyrogenic carbon (PC) as a terminal electron acceptor to promote anaerobic respiration and suppress methanogenesis, the effective quantity comprising a ratio of unit weight of PC for each mmol of CH4 otherwise expected to be produced and desired to be reduced from the anaerobic ecosystem per treatment (redox) cycle, wherein the ratio is based upon an electron storage capacity (ESC) of the PC and is calculated as:
- A
- *
- 0.125
- *
- ESC
- *
- M
- =
- mmol
-
- methane
-
- reduction
- ,
- wherein
- :
- A
- =
- ESC
-
- bioavailability
-
- factor
-
- (
- unitless
- )
- ;
- ESC
- =
- measured
-
- ESC
-
- in
-
- mmol
- /
- unit
-
- weight
-
- of
-
- PC
- M
- =
- weight
-
- of
-
- PC
- .
A method for reducing an amount of methane emitted from an anaerobic ecosystem comprising a microbial source prone to methanogenesis, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) determining an expected amount of CH4 generated per unit mass of the anaerobic ecosystem;
- b) providing a source of biochar (BC);
- c) determining an electron storage capacity (ESC) in mols of ESC of the BC and an availability of the biochar;
- d) based upon the ESC and availability (A) of the BC, determining a mass ratio of BC to be added per unit mass of the anaerobic ecosystem as a terminal electron acceptor to achieve a desired percentage reduction in the expected amount of CH4 generated per unit mass of the anaerobic ecosystem, the mass ratio comprising A*0.125*ESC*M per mmol methane reduction per redox cycle, wherein:
- A
- =
- ESC
-
- bioavailability
-
- factor
- ;
- ESC
- =
- electron
-
- storage
-
- capacity
-
- in
-
- mmol
- /
- unit
-
- weight
-
- of
-
- BC
- ;
- M
- =
- weight
-
- of
-
- BC
- ;
- e) treating the anaerobic ecosystem with a quantity of the BC in at least the determined mass ratio.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.