Bio-upgrading of syngas into hydrogen or methane

这项研究旨在建立一条从低质量生物质到生物基能源生产的价值链，即高产量的富甲烷或富氢生物/合成气，从而将环境责任转化为经济机会。作为原料的生物质包括丰富且大部分未开发的来源，如：城市固体废物，市政和纸浆和造纸生物固体，林业和农业残留物（稻草，枯木…），多年生巨草（柳枝稷，芒草…）。当生物质相对干燥和/或难以生物降解时，一种可能性是将生物质气化并使用产生的合成气（syngas）作为气体发酵的原料。合成气主要由一氧化碳（CO）、二氧化碳和氢气组成。少数微生物，通常是嗜热的，能够在CO和H2上生长，并将CO还原成CH4，或将质子还原成H2。因此，我们计划利用这些羧营养微生物开发生物工艺，将合成气升级为H2或CH4。

This research effort is to contribute at building a value chain from lower quality biomass towards bio-based energy production, namely methane- or hydrogen-enriched bio/syngas at high yield, accordingly, at turning environmental liabilities into economical opportunities. Biomass targeted as feedstock includes abundant and largely untapped sources such as : municipal solid wastes, municipal & pulp and paper biosolids, forestry and agriculture residues (straw, dead wood ...), perennial giant grass (switchgrass, miscanthus ...). When biomass is relatively dry and/or difficultly biodegradable, one possibility is to gasify the biomass and to use the synthetic gas (syngas) produced as a feedstock for gaseous fermentation. Syngas is mainly composed of carbon monoxide (CO), CO2 and hydrogen. A small number of microbes, often thermophilic, are able to grow on CO and H2 and reduce either CO into CH4, or protons into H2. Hence we plan to develop bioprocesses using those carboxydotrophic microorganisms, to upgrade syngas into H2 or CH4.