Simulation and experimental analysis of biogas upgrading

Yonael Mezmur; Wondwossen Bogale; Yonael Mezmur; Wondwossen Bogale

doi:10.3934/energy.2019.3.371

AIMS Energy

2019, Volume 7, Issue 3: 371-381. doi: 10.3934/energy.2019.3.371

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Research article Topical Sections

Simulation and experimental analysis of biogas upgrading

Yonael Mezmur ^{1,2
,
,},
Wondwossen Bogale ²

1.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology,Wachemo University
2.
School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University

Received: 01 March 2019 Accepted: 31 May 2019 Published: 20 June 2019

Biogas production is a consolidated approach for converting organic waste into renewable energy. To better use the biogas and increase the calorific value and remove unwanted components from the raw biogas, it is crucial to clean raw biogas and upgrade it. The cleaned biogas is used in high efficient power generation systems. However, it is hard to find innovative biogas upgrading technologies for electricity generation in Ethiopia. Almost all of the Biogas produced in Ethiopia has been used for cooking. In this study, a novel technology to upgrade Biogas and reduce H₂S content of biogas has been studied. After production of the biogas different chemicals have been used to upgrade the biogas: activated carbon to remove H₂S, NaOH and KOH to remove CO₂, silica gel and charcoal to remove the moisture. The experimental result shows that these innovative technologies reduces the acidic content (H₂S) by 99% and removes the CO₂content by 82%. As a result, the methane content increased from 56.7% to 85%. The CO₂content decreased from 36% to 7%. This shows that the upgraded biogas can be used for electricity power generation.
- biogas,
- upgrading,
- activated carbon,
- silica gel,
- NaOH,
- KOH
Citation: Yonael Mezmur, Wondwossen Bogale. Simulation and experimental analysis of biogas upgrading[J]. AIMS Energy, 2019, 7(3): 371-381. doi: 10.3934/energy.2019.3.371

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Abstract

Biogas production is a consolidated approach for converting organic waste into renewable energy. To better use the biogas and increase the calorific value and remove unwanted components from the raw biogas, it is crucial to clean raw biogas and upgrade it. The cleaned biogas is used in high efficient power generation systems. However, it is hard to find innovative biogas upgrading technologies for electricity generation in Ethiopia. Almost all of the Biogas produced in Ethiopia has been used for cooking. In this study, a novel technology to upgrade Biogas and reduce H₂S content of biogas has been studied. After production of the biogas different chemicals have been used to upgrade the biogas: activated carbon to remove H₂S, NaOH and KOH to remove CO₂, silica gel and charcoal to remove the moisture. The experimental result shows that these innovative technologies reduces the acidic content (H₂S) by 99% and removes the CO₂content by 82%. As a result, the methane content increased from 56.7% to 85%. The CO₂content decreased from 36% to 7%. This shows that the upgraded biogas can be used for electricity power generation.

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