The ability of the multispecies biofilm membrane reactors (MBM reactors) to provide distinguished niches for aerobic and anaerobic microbes at the same time was used for the investigation of the consolidated bioprocessing of cellulose to short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). A consortium based consolidated bioprocess (CBP) was designed. The rumen microbiome was…
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Lignin depolymerization could provide an attractive renewable aromatic feedstock for the chemical industry. Past studies have suggested that lignin structural features such as ether content are correlated to lignin’s upgradeability. An obstacle to the development of a conclusive causal relationship between lignin structure and upgradeability…
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We report the increased level of mechanistic information that Raman spectroscopy can provide when combined with modulated excitation experimentation. A V2O5/TiO2 catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx was subjected to periodic NH3 pulses while recording time-resolved Raman spectra simultaneously. Through phase sensitive detection, we confirmed…
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Solid-oxide electrolyzer based power-to-methane is promising for large-scale energy storage as well as biogas upgrading by efficiently converting intermittent renewable power and CO2 (e.g., in biogas) into synthetic methane. Either air or pure oxygen can be employed in solid oxide electrolyzers for anode sweeping and thermal management. This work investigates the optimal conceptual…
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In order to safely use biogas in applications which are highly sulfur-sensitive, such as fuel cells or catalytic methanation processes, methods for accurate online measurement of total sulfur at sub-ppmv concentrations must be developed and validated. A method based on a sulfur chemiluminescence detector (SCD) is presented here for this purpose. Biogas-specific variations in gas composition were…
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In the energy sector, decisions and technology implementations often necessitate a mid- to long-term perspective. Thus, reliable assessments of future resource availability are needed to support the decision-making process. In Switzerland, similarly to other countries, only a limited part of the available wet biomass feedstock is currently used for anaerobic digestion. Understanding potential future trajectories…
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