Exploring the potential for biological production of C2 or higher gases review study

Abstract

The aim of the report is to study the potential to produce C2 or higher gases from biological process. In the existing technology, anaerobic digestion produces mainly 55-80% methane (CH4) and 20-45% carbon dioxide (CO2). The thermal efficiency of the methane is 37 kJm-3 where the thermal efficiency of ethane and propane are 64 kJm-3 and 94 kJm-3 respectively. Thus, if the biogas of ethane, propane or higher gaseous hydrocarbons can be produced instead of methane, new possibilities and opportunities will arise in the renewable energy prospect.

In natural, hydrocarbons can be synthesized by wide range of plants, insects and microbes. Nevertheless, there is a gap in our knowledge, which is how they generate hydrocarbon molecules. If the mechanism of the hydrocarbons synthesis is known, it will lead to a new generation in renewable energy source. However, in order to understand the mechanism, it is necessary to study the genes and enzymes that involve in the hydrocarbons synthesis.