Abstract
Biogas upgrading in Czech Republic evinces very slow start, especially because of low foundation support. Distrust of biogas plant operators is caused mainly by high capital costs and further biomethane utilization. Cheap, small-scale demonstration units, which evince additional value, could present potential kick-off for following capacity increase in order to supply the gas into the grid or broaden insufficient net of dispensing gas stations to fuel CNG vehicles. In this article, we present our biogas upgrading pilot unit, which is long-term operated at agricultural biogas plant in Czech Republic. It presents a compact and complex system of biogas pretreatment, purification and BioCNG dispensation placed in one transportation container ISO 20. It processes 12 N m3/h of biogas while produces 6.3 N m3/h of biomethane (95–96 vol%) with overall methane recovery 83.9%. Acquired data confirm that any funding support makes small-scale upgrading profitable with acceptable return of investments.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Air Liquid (2018) From biogas purification to bio-NGV for transport, Press Kit. https://energies.airliquide.com/sites/abt_ne/files/2019/01/11/press_kit_biogas_11.18_en.pdf. Accessed April 2019
Aquacentrum Praha Home Page. www.aqcentrum.cz. Accessed July 2018
Augelletti R, Conti M, Annesini MC (2017) Pressure swing adsorption for biogas upgrading. A new process configuration for the separation of biomethane and carbon dioxide. J Clean Prod 140:1390–1398
Bakker B, Langerak J, Lems R, Dirkse EHM (2017) Chances for Bio-LNG, DMT clear gas solutions, https://www.dmt-cgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Chances-for-BioLNG-article-versie-41-5.pdf. Accessed April 2019
Chen XY, Vinh-Thang H, Ramirez AA, Rodrigue D, Kaliaguine S (2015) Membrane gas separation technologies for biogas upgrading. RSC Adv 5:24399–24448
Czech Biogas Association. www.czba.cz. Accessed April 2019
Deremince B, Königsberger S (2017) Statistical report of the European Biogas Association 2017. Brussels, Belgium
Haider S, Lindbråthen A, Hägg M (2016) Techno-economical evaluation of membrane based biogas upgrading system: a comparison between polymeric membrane and carbon membrane technology. Green Energy Environ 1:222–234
Huertas J, Giraldo N, Izquierdo S (2011) Removal of H2S and CO2 from biogas by amine absorption. In: Mass transfer in chemical engineering processes. In Tech
KS Klima-service Home Page. www.ksklimaservice.cz. Accessed July 2018
Lien C, Lin J, Ting C (2014) Water scrubbing for removal of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) inbiogas from Hog farms. J Agric Chem Environ 3:1–6
Mohanakrishnan L, Kurian J, Rintala J (2016) Chemical Scrubbing for removal of CO2 from Biogas using Algae and H2S using sponge iron. Int J Renew Energy Environ Eng 04:35–41
Mufidatula I, Totoka S, Ridhoa H, Arifa A (2015) Water scrubbing for removal of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulfide) in biogas from manure. KnE Energy 2:126–131
Niesner J, Jecha D, Stehlik P (2013) Biogas upgrading technologies: state of art review in European region. Chem Eng Trans 35:517–522
Nijaguna BT (2006) Biogas technology. New Age International, New Delhi
PARKER Home Page. www.parker.cz. Accessed July 2018
Pellegrini LA, De Guido G, Lange S (2018) Biogas to liquefied biomethane via cryogenic upgrading technologies. Renew Energy 124:75–83
Pentair Home Page. https://foodandbeverage.pentair.com/en/industries/biogas. Accessed April 2019
Rasi S, Lantela J, Rintala J (2014) Upgrading landfill gas using a high pressure water absorption process. Fuel 115:539–543
Research Division Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation (2012) Promotion of bio-methane and its market development through local and regional partnerships. Vienna University of Technology. https://www.aile.asso.fr/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wp3-1-1_technologyreview_english.pdf. Accessed July 2018
Scholz M, Alders M, Lohaus T, Wessling M (2015) Structural optimization of membrane-based biogas upgrading processes. J Membr Sci 474:1–10
Siemens AG Home Page. www.siemens.com. Accessed July 2018
Thermo Fisher Scientific Home Page. www.thermofisher.com. Accessed April 2019
UBE Industries Ltd. Home Page. www.ube.com. Accessed July 2018
Ungerank M, Baumgarten G, Priske M, Roegl H (2013) Process for separation of gases. US20130098242A1
Valek R, Maly D, Peter J, Gruart M (2017) Effect of the preparation conditions on the properties of polyetherimide hollow fibre membranes for gas separation. Desalin Water Treat 75:300–304
Vrbova V, Ciahotny K (2017) Upgrading biogas to biomethane using membrane separation. Energy Fuels 31(9):9393–9401
Zak M, Bendova H, Friess K, Bara JE, Izak P (2018) Single-step purification of raw biogas to biomethane quality by hollow fiber membranes without any pretreatment: an innovation in biogas upgrading. Sep Purif Technol 203:36–40
Acknowledgements
The work was carried out within the framework of the project TE02000077 “Smart Regions - Buildings and Settlements Information Modelling, Technology and Infrastructure for Sustainable Development” supported by Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, using the infrastructure Membrane Innovation Centre.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maršálek, J., Brož, P. & Bobák, M. Complex biogas membrane upgrading to BioCNG at agriculture biogas plant. Chem. Pap. 74, 4227–4239 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-020-01238-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-020-01238-7