The energy need of today’s world is tremendous, and we have limited non-renewable sources of energy. So the focus is to develop green energy alternatives like biogas. You’ve probably heard of biogas before, but what is it exactly? Biogas is swiftly becoming a valuable renewable energy source. It is used to generate heat and electricity and is a clean alternative to other forms of energy.
One crucial step in producing biogas is scrubbing. This is the process of removing pollutants from the gas so that it can be used safely. Without scrubbing, the gas could cause damage to equipment and the environment. In this article, we will discuss the importance of biogas scrubbing.
Biogas is a renewable energy source that is created when organic matter breaks down. It is commonly called biomethane, a mixture of gases primarily consisting of methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S). So think about all the waste we create daily – food scraps, agricultural waste, plant waste, manure, etc.- is used as raw material to make biogas.
Why is biogas so important? There are a few reasons. First of all, biogas is a great way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. And it’s a better way to reduce our carbon footprint.
Most of people are not too familiar with the term “biogas scrubbing”, but it is a very important process. Biogas often contains a bunch of harmful pollutants. Biogas scrubbing removes/reduces impurities from the biogas so it can be used as a fuel source. And it is essential to make sure that the biogas meets emissions standards.
As described above, biogas consists of carbon dioxide (CO2) as it is formed during the degradation decomposition of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen during the anaerobic digestion process. The quality of biogas is inversely proportional to the level of CO2 in biogas. The higher the level of CO2 in biogas, the lower its combustion. Carbon dioxide scrubber is helpful in reducing this pollutant quite effectively and makes biogas more combustible.
If you are using biogas that contains hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), it produces sulphur dioxide (SO2), which is highly toxic. And hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) also corrodes the equipment of biogas plants. The corrosion can be a massive setback to the plant’s sustainability. In some instances, where the gas’s content is way over the acceptable threshold, a biological chemical-based hydrogen sulfide scrubber can be used to reduce the percentage of the acid gas substantially.
The working principle of biogas scrubbing is that the gas is passed through a series of purification containers where a liquid (water; that’s why it is also called water scrubber) is contacted with biogas flow. The liquid interacts with acid gases (as they are more soluble than methane) and helps to reduce their content from the gas to make it safer to use. CO2 is not that soluble in water, so a catalyst is required with water to bind CO2 with water more effectively. H2S is more water soluble so water absorbent could reduce H2S more effectively without the requirement of any binding catalyst. Biogas scrubbing can reduce acid gas in a short amount of time.
Conclusion
Biogas scrubbing significantly increases the calorific value of the purified gas, making it a more viable fuel source and reducing the carbon footprint, thus doing your part to help preserve the environment.
If you are interested to learn more about biogas, be sure to check our website for more information.
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