Comparative Studies on Methane Upgradation of Biogas by Removing of Contaminant Gases Using Combined Chemical Methods

Abstract

Biogas, which generated from renewable sources can be used as a sustainable energy to achieve resourceful targets of biofuel for internal combustion engines. This process can be achieved in combined absorption and adsorption chemical way. This method can be employed by aqueous solutions of calcium hydroxide, activated carbon, iron(II) chloride, silica gel and sodium sulfate respectively. The presence of CO2, H2S and H2O in the biogas has lowering the calorific value and detrimental corrosion effects on the metal components. Removal of these contaminants from the biogas can therefore significantly improve the gas quality. A comparison study was investigated using combined chemical methods of improving the calorific value of biogas. Experiment results revealed that the aqueous solution used effectively in reacting with CO2 in biogas (over 85-90% removal efficiency), creating CH4 enriched biogas. The removal efficiency was the highest in method 1, where efficiency results were 91.5%, 97.1% and 91.8%, for CO2, H2S, and H2O, respectively. The corresponding CH4 enrichment was 97.5%. These results indicate that the method 1 is more suitable compare to method 2. However, both methane enrichment processes might be useful for cleaning and upgrading methane quality in biogas.

Keywords

• biogas
• methane
• hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)
• carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• water (H₂O)