eMethane offers a solution to mitigate climate change since it is a drop-in fuel that can replace fossil natural gas and LNG. Natural gas, predominantly composed of methane, has been meeting our energy needs for years. Now we have a renewable option; eMethane (i.e. synthetic methane), or biomethane (or sometimes biogas) if it is produced from biological origin, can be utilized with existing gas infrastructure.

The heart of Q Power’s methanation process is the patented solid-state bioreactor. The patented unique structure and biocatalytic process enable extremely high plant efficiency 81% from hydrogen to eMethane, leading to low lifecycle costs. This is due to the mild process conditions:

• Near ambient pressure
• Does not require mixing
• Does not require heating 

The recipe for producing eMethane is quite simple: we need green hydrogen and recycled carbon dioxide as raw materials, which are fed into  patented microbiological methanation units and the outcome is synthetic methane. Methane is produced by reacting carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the Sabatier reaction: CO₂ + 4H₂ → CH₄ + 2H₂O.

This conversion can be made in different ways. Our technology is based on biological conversion. microbes are highly tolerant to impurities in the feed gas, which means that complicated feed gas cleanup is not required and our reactors do not consume energy in in the form of heating or pressurizing the input gases. The temperature of the process is only around 50 to 70 °C (120 to 160 °F). In that it differs from with catalytic technologies, which require a temperature of several hundred degrees. Also there is no catalyst replacements  required during the life-time of the plant.

 In addition the unique Q Power reactor design enables a highly efficient gas transfer and conversion efficiency without the use of pressurizing or mixing. There is also no need forno need for recurring laboratory analysis of the process.  Due these factors the overall process efficiency is from hydrogen to methane is 82%. On top of this you can utilize the excess heat.

The process efficiency 82% is calculated from the energy input of hydrogen to energy output of methane. Plant efficiency 81%  includes also the electrical consumption of the plant. Lower heating values are used.

Q Power’s pioneering microbiological invention harnesses the power of microbes from Finnish marshlands to convert green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into renewable synthetic methane. You too can consider CO₂ as a raw material and it use it as an input rather than discharging it into the atmosphere. 

Our solutions are modularly expandable from small-scale to industrial scale, making capacity increases and service operations easy. Modules can be installed ground standing or stacked/skid mounted.

The solution consists of the reactor modules where the actual process happens and the technical modules, which contain all the equipment (pumps, blowers etc.) required to run the process. Modular approach gives redundancy against unexpected events and during planned service downtime. An illustration of this principle can be seen in figure below. Methanation modules contain the bioreactors that host the methanation reaction. Capacity can be scaled up by adding more methanation modules to the system.

Q Power’s methanation solution enables the possibility to use variety of different CO2 input sources to the bioreactors, from captured CO2 from industrial flue gases to raw biogas or landfill gas, the latter even without the separation of CO2. It has been previously proven that the Q Power biological methanation is very tolerant to impurities and can handle many substances that are often harmful to other methanation processes.

For example, we have piloted our technology with the gases that are hardest to utilize such as flue gases and landfill gases. In traditional methanation processes, pre-purification is necessary for example landfill gas, synthesis gas and different flue gases to remove impurities such as sulfur and siloxanes before gas can be converted to methane. However, with Q Powers’ innovative microbiological technology, in many cases, there is no need for pre-purification.

Q Power methanation TRL for integrated scheme (Hydrogen from electrolysis and carbon capture) is evaluated to be 8. Q Power technology has been researched and developed extensively since 2007.
After commissioning of the commercial Harjavalta -plant in 2024 TRL level is upgraded to 9.

You can view our References

You can also view videos of our production and take a look inside of the Finland’s first industrial scale methanation unit, which is part of P2X Solution’s First green hydrogen plant. 

The cost-efficiency of a methanation solution depends on the full lifecycle-costs of the methanation plant. Q Power’s methanation technology boasts best-in-class plant efficiency, requires minimal service throughout its lifetime, and the process is very stable, all this leading to low operational cost.

The biological process can also be ramped up and down according to the energy markets. 

Production can be flexibly adjusted as following:

Ramp-down: from 100% to 15% real-time responsiveness to hydrogen production.

Ramp-up: time from 15% to 100% less than 10 min when operating the plant with reduced capacity for a short period.

Ramp-down: from 100% to 0% real-time responsiveness to hydrogen production.

Ramp-up: after maximum of 24h down-time ~30-60 min. until normal production.

Q Power’s biological methanation process does not require pressurizing, high temperatures or mixing/stirring. That is why our plant efficiency is close to the theoretical maximum. Since the excess heat can also be utilized (district heating, process heating etc.), the overall energy losses are minimized.