From: Distributed, Renewable Bioenergy
At the Scrubbing Edge
To burn, renewable biogas must
first have its moisture, carbon dioxide, siloxanes, hydrogen sulfide, and other
contaminants removed; each requires a dedicated system. Afterward, engines get (hopefully)
high-quality fuel, and the resulting emissions can pass tough emissions
standards.
So far, the combinations of
scrubbing systems—developed under conditions that often differ significantly and
do not necessarily carry over to new applications—have proven to be expensive
and not always reliable. Consequently, power projects at landfills and digesters
may be put at higher risk. Negative results range from increased engine wear and
higher maintenance labor to outright project failure.
The quest for technology to
deliver higher performance, at lower cost, is never-ending.
One of several newly emerging
systems is this, for removal of what is often a significant contaminate,
hydrogen sulfide. For combating this, an iron redox reaction process, stemming
from research and development undertaken at the University of Toronto, has now
been licensed to an Ontario firm, Eco-Tec, which markets industrial gas
treatment processes. Eco-Tec’s VP for business development Carmine Fontana gives
a quick overview:
The hydrogen sulfide is simply
absorbed in a high-efficiency, gas-liquid contact process, with proprietary
chemistry mixtures within a chamber. Afterward, the solution flows to another
vessel for regeneration by air. Extracted sulfur is then filtered and caked for
disposal.
The results, he says, are
“excellent,” and come at less than half the cost of previous-generation hydrogen
sulfide scrubbers, thanks to smaller equipment that can mount on a small skid. A
pilot was fielded in mid–2008 at a food processing plant in the UK, where onsite
biogas is now being captured to power two Jennbacher reciprocating engines.
A previous-generation version is
offered in the United States as the “Lo Cat” and “Mini-Cat” system from Merichem
Gas Technology Products of Schaumberg, IL, which has recently fielded a pilot
version at the Eastern Creek MSW plant near Sydney, Australia.
November - December 2008
From: Distributed, Renewable Bioenergy
At the Scrubbing Edge
To burn, renewable biogas must
first have its moisture, carbon dioxide, siloxanes, hydrogen sulfide, and other
contaminants removed; each requires a dedicated system. Afterward, engines get (hopefully)
high-quality fuel, and the resulting emissions can pass tough emissions
standards.
So far, the combinations of
scrubbing systems—developed under conditions that often differ significantly and
do not necessarily carry over to new applications—have proven to be expensive
and not always reliable. Consequently, power projects at landfills and digesters
may be put at higher risk. Negative results range from increased engine wear and
higher maintenance labor to outright project failure.
The quest for technology to
deliver higher performance, at lower cost, is never-ending.
One of several newly emerging
systems is this, for removal of what is often a significant contaminate,
hydrogen sulfide. For combating this, an iron redox reaction process, stemming
from research and development undertaken at the University of Toronto, has now
been licensed to an Ontario firm, Eco-Tec, which markets industrial gas
treatment processes. Eco-Tec’s VP for business development Carmine Fontana gives
a quick overview:
The hydrogen sulfide is simply
absorbed in a high-efficiency, gas-liquid contact process, with proprietary
chemistry mixtures within a chamber. Afterward, the solution flows to another
vessel for regeneration by air. Extracted sulfur is then filtered and caked for
disposal.
The results, he says, are
“excellent,” and come at less than half the cost of previous-generation hydrogen
sulfide scrubbers, thanks to smaller equipment that can mount on a small skid. A
pilot was fielded in mid–2008 at a food processing plant in the UK, where onsite
biogas is now being captured to power two Jennbacher reciprocating engines.
A previous-generation version is
offered in the United States as the “Lo Cat” and “Mini-Cat” system from Merichem
Gas Technology Products of Schaumberg, IL, which has recently fielded a pilot
version at the Eastern Creek MSW plant near Sydney, Australia.