A comprehensive analysis of key factors influencing methane production from CO2 using microbial methanogenesis cells

With increasing attention on carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies for the conversion of CO2 into chemical products, microbial methanogenesis cells (MMCs) have been extensively studied over the past few decades for biomethane production. Using rapidly accumulating data for MMCs with varying configurations and operating conditions, a comprehensive analysis was conducted here to investigate the critical factors that influence methane production rates (MPR) in these systems. A comparison of MPR and set potentials or current densities showed weak linear relationships (R2 < 0.6, p < 0.05), indicating the significant contributions of other important factors impacting methane production. A non-quantitative analysis of these additional parameters indicated the potential importance of using metal catalysts for anode materials where oxygen evolution reaction occurs, while most previous MMC research focused more on cathode materials where the biocatalytic reaction occurs. The use of undefined mixed anaerobic cultures as inocula was found to be sufficient for producing high MPRs, as the electrochemical environment at the cathode provides a strong selective pressure to converge on desirable methanogenic cultures. Other operational parameters, such as catholyte pH control and CO2 supply methods, were also important factors impacting MPR in MMCs, indicating the cumulative impact of these various factors will require careful consideration in future research.