Power-to-Gas technology: biomethanation of green hydrogen and CO₂ into grid-quality e-methane
Electrochaea GmbH
Planegg (82152) · San Diego, CA (USA) · Hvidovre (Denmark)New on Amplifa
About Electrochaea
Electrochaea GmbH, headquartered in Planegg near Munich, is a technology provider in the field of Power-to-Gas (P2G). The patented biomethanation process converts green hydrogen and CO₂ – biogenic, industrial or from raw biogas – into grid-quality renewable e-methane using a proprietary methanogenic archaea strain (biocatalyst ECH 0100). The reaction takes place in stirred bioreactors at approximately 65 °C (plant specification 63 °C, 10 bar) under mild process conditions with a CO₂ conversion efficiency of 97–99.5%. The modular technology is specified in plant sizes of 1, 10 and 50 MWe and is scalable to over 100 MWe (approx. 400 GWh e-methane). The service portfolio includes techno-economic feasibility studies, technology transfer and licensing, provision of the biocatalyst, commissioning, operator training and ongoing technical support. Customers come from the energy sector, gas grid operators, CO₂-emitting industries and biogas upgrading. In addition to its headquarters in Planegg, the company has offices in San Diego (USA) and Hvidovre (Denmark).
- Site
- Planegg
- Processes
- Biomethanation (Power-to-Gas / biological methanation of H2 + CO2 to e-methane), Biomethanation in bioreactor (stitched solution, ~65 °C, proprietary methanogenic archaea as, Biomethanation plant 1 MWe (50 Nm³/h CH4, 200 Nm³/h H2, 50 Nm³/h CO2, reactor 63 °C / 10 bar), Biomethanation plant 10 MWe (500 Nm³/h CH4, 2000 Nm³/h H2, 500 Nm³/h CO2), Biomethanation plant 50 MWe (2500 Nm³/h CH4, 10000 Nm³/h H2, 2500 Nm³/h CO2), Techno-economic feasibility studies, licensing/technology transfer, commissioning and, Carbon capture integration (BEDP with Baker Hughes: 3750 Nm³/h CH4 from 3750 Nm³/h CO2 + H2 from 75, Techno-economic feasibility studies and feasibility assessments
- Materials
- Green hydrogen, Carbon dioxide, e-Methane / synthetic methane, Methanogenic archaea (biocatalyst ECH 0100, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus), Platinized titanium cathode material, Graphite (cathode material), Nickel (cathode material), e-Methane
- Founded
- 2014
- Industries
- Power generators and utilities, Gas grid operators, Industry (CO₂-emitting industries / CCU), Biogas upgrading, Heavy transport / fuels (eLNG)
- 01
Techno-economic feasibility study / feasibility assessment
- 02
Basic Engineering Design Package (BEDP) with engineering partners
- 03
Technology transfer and licensing
- 04
Provision of the ECH 0100 biocatalyst
- 05
Installation by qualified engineering partners
- 06
On-site commissioning and operator training
- 07
Ongoing technical support
Input and Output Materials / Process
Green hydrogen
Input material from electrolysis or pyrolysis, or external supply, for conversion with CO₂.
Carbon dioxide
Any CO₂ sources (biogenic, industrial, raw biogas) can be used without pretreatment.
e-Methane
Produced renewable methane in grid-injection quality for feed-in, eLNG or on-site use.
Methanogenic archaea (biocatalyst)
Selectively developed strain (Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus) as a self-replicating biocatalyst, licensed under a usage agreement.
Platinized titanium cathode material
Electrode material for electromethanogenic systems with high volumetric CH₄ production rates.
Graphite (cathode material)
Lower-cost electrode alternative with lower performance.
Nickel (cathode material)
Electrode material with the fastest recovery after operational interruptions.
Locations
Planegg
DEHeadquarters (HQ)
- Materials
- H2, CO2, ECH 0100
- Biomethanation bioreactor (1 MWe)
- Biomethanation bioreactor (10 MWe)
- Biomethanation bioreactor (50 MWe)
San Diego, CA
USBranch office (Electrochaea Corp.)
Hvidovre
DEBranch office (Electrochaea.dk ApS, BioCat Site, c/o BIOFOS)
Plants and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biomethanation (Power-to-Gas / biological methanation of H2 + CO2 to e-methane)Engineering | – | – | – | – | green hydrogen, CO2 (biogenic, industrial, raw biogas) |
| Biomethanation in bioreactor (stitched solution, ~65 °C, proprietary methanogenic archaea asEngineering | – | – | – | – | H2, CO2, ECH 0100 archaea biocatalyst |
| Biomethanation plant 1 MWe (50 Nm³/h CH4, 200 Nm³/h H2, 50 Nm³/h CO2, reactor 63 °C / 10 bar)Engineering | – | – | – | – | H2, CO2 |
| Biomethanation plant 10 MWe (500 Nm³/h CH4, 2000 Nm³/h H2, 500 Nm³/h CO2)Engineering | – | – | – | – | H2, CO2 |
| Biomethanation plant 50 MWe (2500 Nm³/h CH4, 10000 Nm³/h H2, 2500 Nm³/h CO2)Engineering | – | – | – | – | H2, CO2 |
| Techno-economic feasibility studies, licensing/technology transfer, commissioning andEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Carbon capture integration (BEDP with Baker Hughes: 3750 Nm³/h CH4 from 3750 Nm³/h CO2 + H2 from 75Engineering | – | – | – | – | CO2, H2 |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biomethanation bioreactor (1 MWe P2G plant) | Electrochaea | – | – | – | Planegg (HQ); demo plants in Denmark, Switzerland, USA |
| Biomethanation bioreactor (10 MWe) | Electrochaea | – | – | – | – |
| Biomethanation bioreactor (50 MWe) | Electrochaea | – | – | – | – |
| Methanation system per BEDP (75 MWe electrolyzer, 3750 Nm³/h CH4) | Electrochaea / Baker Hughes BioCat methanation system | – | – | 2025 | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 2014
Founded on the basis of a methanogenic archaea strain discovered at the University of Chicago (Prof. Laurens Mets); first commercial tests at a US brewery
- 2021
Baker Hughes becomes a strategic investor
- 2024
Demonstration plants and projects in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and the USA; previously realized the world's first 1-MWe P2G plant
- 2024
Five-year technology transfer and licensing agreement with Hitachi for Japan's first biomethanation plant
- 2025
Completion of the Basic Engineering Design Package (BEDP) with Baker Hughes: 3,750 Nm³/h methane from 3,750 Nm³/h CO₂ and H₂ from a 75-MWe electrolyzer
- 2025
Joined the e-NG Coalition (alliance for Electric Natural Gas)