Biological methanation Enabling New Business Models for Biogas Plants Dr. Markus Forstmeier

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1 Biological methanation Enabling New Business Models for Biogas Plants Dr. Markus Forstmeier Record Biomap - Biomethane Day and Workshop March 2018

2 Large installed base of biogas plants looking for new business opportunities More than biogas plants, mainly CHP Feed-in tariffs are fading out (example of Germany) Source: EBA 2018 Source: DBFZ

3 Superior Option for Biogas Utilization Raw biogas: 60% CH 4, 40% CO 2 Biological Methanation Biological Methanation Robust biological process Dynamic operation feasible Increase in biomethane production by 66% Zero CO 2 emissions Multiple revenue streams Biogas Upgrading Separation of Methane and Feed-in High investment, sensitive technology Loss of 40% of the gas volume (CO 2 fraction) CO 2 and methane emissions Generating Electricity in CHP Sale of Electricity Usually fixed tariffs, e.g. EEG in Germany Subsidies slowly fading out CHP requires high maintenance High SOx and NOx emissions 3

4 Energy Storage and Grid Integration 4

5 Charging the Natural Gas Grid Proprietary Biocatalytic System Excess renewable power Grid congestion CO 2 emissions Natural gas grid battery Renewable gas markets Decarbonize energy sector 5

6 Power-to-Methane Is More than Energy Storage Grid-scale energy storage & power balancing for renewables POWER TO METHANE Decarbonization of thermal industry, power generation & wastewater treatment Supply of clean fuel for transport and heat generation 6

7 Biomethanation to Convert and Store Energy CO 2 /Biogas CH 4 Heat Proprietary Biocatalyst 4 issued patents, active patent applications worldwide Operating Conditions temperature 65 C, pressure 1 to 10 bar(a) Any H 2 Source H 2 Methanation Electrolysis Chemical Reactions CO 2 + 4H 2 CH 4 + 2H 2 O + Heat 4H 2 O 4H 2 + 2O 2 + Heat Power Water Electrolyzer Heat Oxygen Net Reaction CO 2 + 2H 2 O CH 4 + 2O 2 + Heat 7

8 Unique Features of Electrochaea`s Technology Unique Biocatalyst Patented strain Optimized methane productivity (20 x incease) Outstanding robustness Fast start/stop cycles Scalable Bioreactor Mild operating conditions Optimized and proprietary design Broad range of applications Efficient Productive Responsive Selective Robust Simple 98.6% of carbon goes into methane VVD* of 800, H 2 mass-transfer limited Quick return to methane production within seconds/minutes 100% methane, no intermediates Tolerant to oxygen, H 2 S, CO, Sulfate, Ammonia, particulates Moderate temperature range (60-65 C) *VVD = volumes of gas per volume of reactor per day (24-hr) 8

9 Rapid Technology De-risking and Scale-up 1 MW Commercial-Scale Field Trial Preparing for market entry with a commercial-scale demonstration unit, using an optimized reactor, Avedøre (DK) 50 kw Pre-Commercial Field Trial Process demonstration in a 5m³ stirred tank bioreactor using raw biogas, Foulum (DK) kw Lab-Scale Field Trial Biocatalytic capability test with raw biogas 2013 n/a Power Input Basic Research In Dr. Mets laboratory at the University of Chicago

10 Electrochaea`s BioCat Methanation System 10

11 Achieving Grid Scale Production 1 MW BioCat Plant in Avedøre (DK) 1 MW electrical power 200 Nm 3 /h H 2 Heat 320 kw 50 Nm 3 /h CO 2 (from Biogas) Biomethane 50 Nm 3 /h grid BioCat Biological methanation system in megawatt scale Conversion of excess renewable power into biomethane Proprietary Bio-Catalyst (4 patents), in-house system design & operation Competitive advantage: dynamic operation, high tolerance to impurities Scaling: to 10 MW and 50 MW systems and in worldwide markets 11

12 Successful Commissioning and Operation of BioCat Operational schedules and programs: Commissioning in April 2016; intermittent operation with various campaigns Typically 6-12 hrs of operation 5 days per week Continuous operations campaigns for ~500hrs with >98% plant availability Non-availability due to smaller technical challenges (switches, valves etc) Total operational hours ~ 3000hrs Grid quality product gas: % CH % CO 2 1-2% H 2 Operating conditions: 8 bar pressure 62 C Nm 3 /hr biogas (37% CO 2, 63% CH 4 ) Nm 3 /hr H 2 12

13 Conclusion A growing number of CHP biogas plants are going to lose their subsidies Shift to biogas upgrading and biomethane injection is slowly happening Market for biomethane is growing, demand driven by transport sector Methanation enhances output of upgrading by conversion of CO 2 Dynamic operation and tolerance to side components are required Biological methanation is a superior option Economic evaluation is project specific because of varying regulation New business models for biogas plants in commercial contracts 13

14 Strong Network of Partners and Investors Electrochaea GmbH Semmelweisstrasse Planegg, Germany Markus Forstmeier, PhD, VP BD markus.forstmeier@electrochaea.com Winner 2017 Finalist 2017 Winner 2017 Bronze Medalist

15 Disclaimer Data provided in this document are intended for informational purposes only and do not constitute a binding offer. Costs and timelines will differ from project to project depending on many factors including project specifications, local conditions, availability and pricing of materials, specific site and operational conditions. 15