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Green Chemistry

Austria’s Krajete gets methane from pressure-loving bugs

by Alex Scott
February 1, 2020 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 98, Issue 5

 

A photo of a Krajete bioreactor.
Credit: Krajete
Krajete's bioreactor uses primordial bacteria and extreme pressure to turn CO2 into natural gas.

The Austrian firm Krajete has developed a pilot-scale high-pressure fermenter in which the single-celled microorganisms archaea convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methane. Archaea, which have inhabited Earth for billions of years, truly come to life only under extreme pressure, according to Krajete. The firm claims that its approach sets new efficiency standards for the process. The unit can generate 500 L of methane per hour from 10 L of liquid at a pressure of 15 bar.

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