Granted Patent B2

US 12,644,082 · App. 18/000,079 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Inventor: Sven Nefigmann (Steinfurt, DE)

Assignee: NEFIGMANN GMBH

C12M21/04C01B3/047C12P5/023

Abstract

Claims (110)

1 . A carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant, comprising:

a) a biodigester for carbon dioxide-neutral, single-stage or multi-stage production of biogas by fermentation of biomass in a fermentation liquid agitated in presence of

i) elemental hydrogen,

ii) hydrogenotrophic and methanogenic archaea, and

iii) activated carbon masses,

b) a source of ammonia connected to a first ammonia line,

c) an ammonia cracker to produce hydrogen or a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture by catalytic cracking of ammonia,

d) a first hydrogen line for feeding the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture directly into the biodigester, and

e) a treating device for treating activated coal masses with hydrogen at higher pressure comprising:

e1) a pressure line and

e2) a treating spray lance

wherein hydrogen-containing activated coal masses configured as spray cones are injected into the fermentation liquid of the biodigester,

wherein ammonia from the source of ammonia is produced with power at least in part by renewable energies and the ammonia cracker is powered at least in part by renewable energies,

wherein the ammonia cracker is configured as a double-tube reactor, the ammonia cracker comprising:

c1) a central tube with a heat source arranged in the central tube, the heat source comprising a heating chamber with a metallic packed bed, a burner, and a flame,

c2) a cracking tube with a cracking catalyst contained in the cracking tube,

c3) a pressure reducer with an electronically controlled actuator,

c4) a second ammonia line to a first recuperator for heating ammonia with hot exhaust gas supplied from the central tube via an exhaust gas line,

c5) a third ammonia line for supplying the heated ammonia from the first recuperator to the cracking tube containing the cracking catalyst

c6) a second hydrogen line for discharging the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture from the cracking tube to a second recuperator for heating air fed to the burner and for cooling the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture,

c7) a cooling device for further cooling the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture or the hydrogen separated with the aid of a hydrogen-selective membrane to below 70° C., and

c8) a separating device for separating ammonia from the produced hydrogen or hydrogen-nitrogen mixture before its introduction into a hydrogen-nitrogen distributor of the biodigester and before its introduction into the treating device for treating activated coal masses with hydrogen at a higher pressure.

2 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein the source of ammonia is at least one pressurized gas cylinder.

3 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein the burner is operable with hot air as an oxidant and at least one fuel selected from the group consisting of:

(i) biogas,

(ii) biogas-natural gas mixtures,

(iii) hot hydrogen, and

(iv) hot hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixture.

4 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:

(i) the first ammonia line,

(ii) the second ammonia line,

(iii) the third ammonia line,

(iv) the first hydrogen line, and

(v) the second hydrogen line,

is spirally shaped.

5 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein the biodigester comprises at least one of:

(a1) a liquid-solid biomass inlet for liquid-solid biomass into an upper region of a reactor volume into a gas phase or into moving fermentation liquid,

(a2) a gaseous biomass inlet for gaseous biomass into moving fermentation liquid in a lower region of the reactor volume, and

(a3) an outlet with one thick matter pump for digested biomasses or fermentation products at a reactor bottom.

6 . A process for production of biogas comprising the process steps of:

(a) supplying ammonia,

(b) producing hydrogen or a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture by catalytic cracking of ammonia,

(c) feeding the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture into a biodigester,

(d) treating activated coal masses with hydrogen at higher pressure, and

(e) fermenting biomass in a fermentation liquid agitated in the presence of elemental hydrogen, hydrogenotrophic and methanogenic archaea microorganisms and activated carbon masses,

wherein steps (a) through (e) are performed with the carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant of claim 1 .

7 . A process for injecting hydrogen-containing powdered activated carbon masses into a fermentation liquid of the biodigester of the carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 under pressure, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a treatment device for the treatment of activated coal or carbon masses with hydrogen at high pressure, the treatment device comprising a pressure vessel with a tubular upper region,

a conically tapering lower region,

a horizontally extending cover,

a passage valve for hydrogen-containing activated carbon masses,

a pressure gauge,

a safety valve or pressure holding valve,

a nitrogen purge line with nitrogen passage valve for nitrogen to the pressure vessel, and

a metering device for powdered activated carbon masses with a powdered activated carbon masses line for the powdered, activated coal masses to the pressure vessel,

(b) filling of powdery, activated carbon masses with the aid of the metering device via the powdered activated carbon masses line into the one pressure vessel with the passage valve closed,

(c) evacuating the pressure vessel with the passage valve closed using a vacuum pump with an upstream shut-off valve for vacuum and overpressure and an upstream strainer within the pressure vessel until a vacuum ≤1.0 mbar is reached,

(d) closing the upstream shut-off valve and spraying hydrogen or hydrogen/nitrogen mixture under higher pressure into the lower region of the pressure vessel with the treating spray lance in the form of a spray cone until a pressure ≥10 bar is reached, conducting either

(i) hydrogen through a first hydrogen line or

(ii) hydrogen/nitrogen mixture through a second hydrogen line to a one compressor,

(e) compressing the hydrogen or hydrogen/nitrogen mixture and conveying the compressed hydrogen or hydrogen/nitrogen mixture through an upstream passage valve to the treating spray lance, and

(f) closing the upstream passage valve and opening the passage valve to a pressure line with a check valve and the sealed feedthrough for the pressure line through the reactor wall and passing the hydrogen-containing powdery activated carbon mass to a second spray lance and injecting the hydrogen-containing powdered activated carbon mass in the form of a spray cone of hydrogen and hydrogen-containing powdered activated carbon mass.

8 . The process according to claim 7 , further comprising the steps of:

(g) turning a three-way valve in the discharge line after pressure equalization so that the discharge line is closed in the direction of the check valve and open in the direction of the nitrogen purge line and a centrifugal separator, and

(h) opening the nitrogen passage valve for nitrogen in the nitrogen purge line and purging the pressure vessel, the pressure line, the three-way valve, and the downstream nitrogen purge line, separating any powdery carbon masses in the centrifugal separator and discharging them from a solids discharge, and discharging the nitrogen from the centrifugal separator through a nitrogen discharge line.

9 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein an output of the biodigester plant is an ammonium sulfate solution usable as liquid fertilizer.

10 . The carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant according to claim 1 , wherein an output of the biodigester plant is an activated carbon/ammonium phosphate byproduct usable to produce terra preta.

11 . A carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant, comprising:

a) a biodigester for carbon dioxide-neutral, single-stage or multi-stage production of biogas by fermentation of biomass in a fermentation liquid agitated in presence of

i) elemental hydrogen,

ii) hydrogenotrophic and methanogenic archaea, and

iii) activated carbon masses,

b) a source of ammonia connected to a first ammonia line,

c) an ammonia cracker to produce hydrogen or a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture by catalytic cracking of ammonia,

d) a first hydrogen line for feeding the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture directly into the biodigester, and

e) a treating device for treating activated coal masses with hydrogen at higher pressure comprising:

e1) a pressure line and

e2) a treating spray lance

e3) a pressure vessel with a tubular upper section, a tapered lower section, a horizontally extending ceiling, and a passage valve for hydrogen-containing activated carbon masses,

e4) a vacuum pump with an upstream shut-off valve for vacuum and overpressure and an upstream strainer inside the pressure vessel,

e5) a pressure gauge and a safety valve or pressure retaining valve,

e6) a nitrogen purge line with a passage valve for nitrogen to the pressure vessel,

e7) a metering device for powdered, activated carbon masses with a powered, activated carbon masses line for the powdered, activated carbon masses to the pressure vessel, and

e8) a lower section spray lance for hydrogen or hydrogen-nitrogen mixture in the tapered lower section, a third hydrogen line for hydrogen or hydrogen-nitrogen mixture, a compressor and an upstream passage valve,

wherein hydrogen-containing activated coal masses configured as spray cones are injected into the fermentation liquid of the biodigester, and

wherein ammonia from the source of ammonia is produced with power at least in part by renewable energies and the ammonia cracker is powered at least in part by renewable energies.

12 . A carbon dioxide-neutral biodigester plant, comprising:

a) a biodigester for carbon dioxide-neutral, single-stage or multi-stage production of biogas by fermentation of biomass in a fermentation liquid agitated in presence of

i) elemental hydrogen,

ii) hydrogenotrophic and methanogenic archaea, and

iii) activated carbon masses,

b) a source of ammonia connected to a first ammonia line,

c) an ammonia cracker to produce hydrogen or a hydrogen-nitrogen mixture by catalytic cracking of ammonia,

d) a first hydrogen line for feeding the produced hydrogen or the hydrogen-nitrogen mixture directly into the biodigester, and

e) a treating device for treating activated coal masses with hydrogen at higher pressure comprising:

e1) a pressure line and

e2) a treating spray lance

wherein hydrogen-containing activated coal masses configured as spray cones are injected into the fermentation liquid of the biodigester,

wherein ammonia from the source of ammonia is produced with power at least in part by renewable energies and the ammonia cracker is powered at least in part by renewable energies,

wherein the activated carbon masses in the fermentation liquid of the biodigester are present in at least one of:

f1) suspended bodies freely movable or fixed by anchors to a reactor bottom, the suspended bodies comprising:

(i) at least one float,

(ii) at least one fixed, activated carbon mass and

(iii) at least one weight,

f2) floating bodies,

f3) a layer fixed with the help of an adhesive,

f4) fluidizable bodies of a fluidized bed of a three-phase fluidized bed biodigester,

f5) an enclosed immobile, fluid-permeable container,

f6) a fixed bed in a fixed bed reactor located in an upstream side circuit of a two-stage converter, and

f7) the form of magnetizable activated carbon particles.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (37)