Sbir phase I: sorbent-enhanced catalysis for robust, high-conversion single pass hydrogenation for renewable natural gas production

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $275,000 provides funding to Circularity Fuels, Inc., a small business located in Redwood City, CA, to develop a sorbent-enhanced catalytic process for upgrading biogas from wastewater treatment facilities into renewable natural gas (RNG). The project aims to increase the yield of RNG production by converting the carbon dioxide in the biogas into additional methane, while also improving resistance to contaminants for long-term system performance. The research objectives include optimizing catalyst and sorbent compositions, understanding the role of humidity, and investigating heating mechanisms to enhance energy efficiency and reaction kinetics. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize the $2 billion RNG market from wastewater treatment, as well as broader applications for other industrial waste streams and the anaerobic digester market. The project period runs from September 2024 to August 2025.

Abstract

The broader/commercial impact of this small business innovation research (SBIR) phase I project lies in its potential to revolutionize the wastewater treatment market for renewable natural gas (RNG), valued at approximately $2 billion. The potential solution focuses on capturing and upgrading biogas from wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFS), which produce a consistent mix of approximately 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide (CO2). By converting CO2 into methane, the output of RNG can be effectively doubled, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This approach provides WWTFS with a cost-effective way to increase revenue through RNG sales and carbon credits, while addressing capital constraints that often hinder facility upgrades due to the cost of separating CO2 from waste streams. Beyond the wastewater market, this innovation has broader implications for other CO2-laden industrial waste streams and the larger anaerobic digester market, including 8,000 dairy, swine, and poultry farms across the U.S. Overall, this project not only offers significant commercial potential but also contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gasses, supporting broader societal and environmental goals. By aligning with sustainability-focused municipalities, a new standard for renewable energy production and environmental stewardship in the wastewater and agricultural industries can be set. The intellectual merit of this project centers on advancing the understanding of sorption-enhanced catalytic processes for upgrading waste gasses to renewable natural gas (RNG). The research objectives are fourfold: 1) map the impact of varying catalyst and sorbent compositions on the sorbent enhanced catalyst (SEC) for the first model system, aiming to identify optimal configurations; 2) measure the impact of catalyst and sorbent identity on the sorbent-enhanced catalytic effect, particularly focusing on resistance to contaminants, which is crucial for long-term system performance; 3) elucidate the role of humidity in mediating the synergistic interactions between the catalyst and sorbent, an aspect critical to enhancing the overall efficiency of the process; and 4) investigate how different heating mechanisms influence the system's performance, aiming to optimize energy efficiency and reaction kinetics. These research efforts are anticipated to yield significant insights into the catalytic and sorption processes, thereby enabling the development of a highly efficient, scalable technology for converting waste gasses into RNG, with broader implications for sustainable energy production and environmental impact reduction. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.