Biogas can be utilized in a significantly more profitable way by upgrading it to biomethane, which can be used as a transportation fuel or fed into the natural gas grid as a substitute for fossil natural gas. Instead of using biogas solely to produce electricity and heat, upgrading biogas to biomethane typically further increases a plant’s profitability, since biomethane can be easily transported and sold for use elsewhere.
In addition to methane, raw biogas typically contains about 35–40 % of carbon dioxide, as well as small amounts of water, nitrogen, oxygen, and impurities. To make the gas suitable for use in vehicle engines, for example, most of these components must be removed before pressurization and refueling.
The biogas upgrading unit will process raw biogas into clean biomethane suitable for use in the natural gas grid, industry or transport. Thanks to the reliable and high-quality membrane and PSA technologies used, no chemicals or water are needed and the final product has a high methane content.
Membrane is a biogas upgrading method in which the gas to be purified flows through hundreds of thin, spaghetti-like tubes. Carbon dioxide and methane are separated by their different permeability. The purification process is usually a two- or three-stage process, i.e. the gas is recycled within the process. This achieves a high quality end product and low methane loss.
The benefits of membrane upgrading include:
Biovoima's BIOupgrade gas upgrading unit is an automated, easily monitored and remotely controlled upgrading solution that utilises membrane technology. BIOupgrade enables efficient gas processing up to methane concentrations of over 99%.
Membrane is a biogas upgrading method in which the gas to be purified flows through hundreds of thin, spaghetti-like tubes. Carbon dioxide and methane are separated by their different permeability. The purification process is usually a two- or three-stage process, i.e. the gas is recycled within the process. This achieves a high quality end product and low methane loss.
BIOupgrade is tailored to allow not only the processing of biogas into biomethane, but also to feed the gas into the natural gas grid. BIOupgrade can be integrated into Biovoima's BIOadapter grid injection unit. In this case, the upgrading unit will take care of upgrading the biogas to grid requirements, as well as measuring the quantity and quality of the gas, while ensuring the monitoring and billing of the biomethane produced.
The most commonly used biogas PSA processing equipment is based on so-called Pressure Swing Adsorption, where the adsorbent binds carbon dioxide in the raw gas at one pressure and releases it at another. Moisture and impurities (e.g. hydrogen sulphide, siloxanes) are removed from the raw gas during pre-treatment prior to the refining process.
With slightly different variations, PSA units are suitable for processing biogas, landfill gas and pyrolysis gas.
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