Greek ETM Demo: Pilot Construction and Design Fine-Tuning Underway
The Greek ETM demo at BLAG is now firmly under construction, with visible progress on site each week: the pilot container is in place, civil works and access are finalizing, and our teams are assembling the core process equipment—three fixed-bed methanation reactors, inter-stage cooling and condensation units, and pre-treatment unit. In parallel, we are fine-tuning the design to lock in stable, efficient, and safe operation from day one. Because methanation is strongly exothermic and sensitive to inlet conditions, we are tightening thermal management across the three stages, validating temperature control and heat removal, and refining the automation layer (SCADA set-points, alarms) to support smooth start-ups, steady-state operation, and safe shutdowns.
Figure 1. Assembly of cooling system
Hydrogen handling systems—detectors, interlocks, and procedures—are being commissioned alongside electrical and control cabling, while utility tie-ins with the BLAG biogas plant advance to enable an integrated flow from raw biogas to pipeline-grade biomethane. Next steps include mechanical completion, FAT/SAT on critical subsystems, and the first performance trials, where we will track conversion, selectivity, methane purity, and energy balance. Designed as a modular unit, the ETM pilot will provide robust data for scale-up and replication, supporting a practical circular-carbon pathway in real operating conditions. Stay tuned to learn about the progress of the pilot unit. CERTH and the Biogas Lagkada coordinate the implementation actions of the Greek pilot.
