Journal of Quality and Technology Management

Volume VIII, Issue II, December 2012, Page 107–118

BIOGAS UP GRADATION FOR POWER GENERATION

APPLICATIONS IN PAKISTAN

M. Farooq1, I.A. Chaudhry2, S. Hussain3, N. Ramzan4 , M. Ahmed5

1Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Engineering &

Technology, Lahore, KSK Campus.

2Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Engineering &

Technology, Lahore.
3Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of

Engineering & Technology, Lahore.

4Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Engineering &

Technology Lahore
5Chemical Engineering Department, University of Engineering & Technology,

Lahore

ABSTRACT

Biogas from anaerobic digestion of biological wastes is a renewable energy

resource. Typical biogas contains 50-65% methane (CH4), 30-45% carbon
dioxide (CO2), moisture and traces of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and can be used
for power generation through internal combustion engine. Reducing CO2 and
H2S content will significantly improve engine performance. Different techniques
such as water scrubbing system, pressure swing adsorption, chemical absorption
method; cryogenic separation & membrane separation available for up gradation
of the biogas are compared. The biogas up gradation using the different absorbent
solutions such as sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide & potassium hydroxide is
studied in pilot plant scale. The results showed the up gradation in the methane
(3-4 %) and decrease in the carbon dioxide (4-5%) & hydrogen sulfide (40-45
ppm) after the chemical absorption method.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion, Biogas, Chemical absorption method, Cow dung,

Scrubbers.

1) INTRODUCTION

The conventional sources of energy are depleting day by day and this fact
is leading to concentrate on the renewable energy resources. Renewable
energy comes from natural resources which include wind, biomass,
biogas, tides, geothermal heat & sunlight, these are naturally replenished
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

(Bhattacharya, et al; 1998) In this regard, biogas is one of the cheapest

renewable resources of energy. Biogas is not only utilized for the power
production applications but also it helps in solid waste management. The
world is emphasizing greatly on the establishment of this technology for
energy production. Most of the countries like Germany, Italy, China, and
India etc. have used this technology in their rural areas. In China, more
than 5 million small biogas digesters have been constructed, at present;
over 20 million persons use biogas as a fuel. In 2002, India had about 3.4
million small scale biogas plants in which each plant is used to serve
single family (Khapre, 1989) In Pakistan the biogas technology is about 35
years old. Till the end of 2006, approximately, six thousand digesters have
apparently been installed throughout the country as against the technical
potential of five million digesters based on its appropriate climate and
accessibility of feedstock, the cattle dung. In 1974, a comprehensive biogas
plan started by the Pakistan government and commissioned 4,137 biogas
units by 1987 in the country. PCRET, Pakistan Council of Renewable
Energy Technologies is leading to publicize biogas technology and by the
end of 2006 it has supported in setting up of about 1600 biogas. But still
the awareness of this technology is scarce among people in Pakistan.

Tippayawong and Thanompongchart, (2010) used the method of chemical

absorption for the up gradation of biogas. Chemical absorption of CO2
and H2S by aqueous solutions in a packed column was experimentally
investigated. The aqueous solutions employed were sodium hydroxide
(NaOH), calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2) and mono-ethanolamine (MEA).
Liquid solvents were circulated through the column, contacting the
biogas in countercurrent flow. The results showed the up gradation in the
methane up to 95% & decrease in the carbon dioxide up to 4%. Abdel-
Hadi, M.A used a simple apparatus for biogas quality determination. The
results obtained from the experiments can be used to analyze the quality
of biogas as a function of its CO2 percentage. Díaz, I.et al’, (2010)
performed for the removal of hydrogen sulphide in severely polluted
biogas produced during the anaerobic digestion of sludge by employing
pure oxygen, air and nitrate as oxidant reactive supplied to the bio
digester.

A general approach to solve the sulphur problem in the MCFC is to

prevent the formation of hydrogen sulphide at the source: favouring
conditions that inhibit its production during fermentation. (Ciccoli, R. et
al., 2010).

108|
 Journal of Quality and Technology Management

Wastes in millions of tons are produced from municipal, agricultural, and

industrial sources every year. Agricultural wastes, together with livestock
manure, are a further resource of solid waste which could be utilized to
generate biogas. Biogas can produce by the anaerobic digestion from this
solid waste to handle the energy crises in the country as well as solid
waste management. However, biogas contains 30-40 % carbon dioxide &
50-3000 ppm amount of hydrogen sulfide (Alonso-Vicario et al., 2010).
Hydrogen sulphide is considered as hazard to human being and animals
because of its toxic nature. If biogas is used without removal of hydrogen
sulphide, it may become a cause of environmental pollution due to its
contribution towards acid rain production. Carbon dioxide is there in
large quantities and that is further inverted in terms of combustion. The
requirement to remove these gaseous components is different for the
different applications of biogas up gradation & utilization as described in
Table 1.

Table 1: Requirements to Remove Gaseous Components depending on the Biogas

Utilization (Alonso-Vicario et al., 2010).

Application Carbon Dioxide Hydrogen Sulphide

Gas heater (boiler) No <1000 ppm
Vehicle fuel Suggested Yes
Natural gas grid No Yes
Combine Heat & Power Engines (CHP) Yes <1000 ppm
Kitchen stove No Yes

Another reason for the removal of carbon dioxide is that it is greenhouse

gas and larger emissions of it may lead to produce warmer environment.
If these unwanted gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide
removed from biogas, this will result in increase of methane content in
gas. Also biogas can be made transportable by removing the carbon
dioxide and hydrogen sulphide from the gas because the presence of
these gases will badly affect the performance of engine. After removing
these gases from biogas, its properties are comparable to natural gas.
Hence it can be used as a fuel for the same applications, previously
utilizing natural gas. Furthermore, due to the expanding prices of oil and
gas, there is a need to emphasize on biogas production and up gradation
which is a dually beneficial alternative resource. In this article, the up
gradation of biogas produced from animal manure at the pilot plant
installed at Kala Shah Kaku Campus of University of Engineering &

|109
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

Technology Lahore, has been carried out and the experimental results are
reproduced.

2) BIOGAS UP-GRADATION TECHNIQUES

A number of techniques are available for the up gradation of biogas.

These techniques include chemical absorption method, high pressure
water scrubbing, pressure swing adsorption, cryogenic separation and
membrane separation method. There are two different approaches for the
up gradation of biogas, named as one step approach & two step
approaches respectively. Various researchers have worked for the
removal of H2S & CO2 separately, while a number of authors have done
the research of techniques for the combine removal of these elements for
the up gradation of biogas to use in the power generation applications.

Shannon, 2000 worked for physical absorption technique. Bhattacharya et

al., 1988 also worked for the water scrubbing process. With the help of
this method, pure methane almost 100% can be get depending upon
different factors e.g. size of scrubbers used in tower, pressure of the gas,
water streaming speed & water cleanliness. Vijay, 2004 using locally
accessible packing materials designed a scrubbing mechanism, which
removed 30-35 & carbon dioxide as compared with a system without the
packed bed. Khapre, 1989 intended a scrubber system of counter flow
type whose pressure was 0.47 bars and the flow rate of gas was 1.764 m3
& in flow rate of water was 0.670 m3. It constantly removes the carbon
dioxide about 30% from the gas. The G.B. Pant University of Agriculture
and Technology, Pantnagar, India 2000, designed a tower for scrubbing
with height of about 6m, which packed with the packing material of
spherical balls shape of 25mm diameter up to height of 2.5 m. the non-
treated biogas was compressed at a pressure of about 6 bar with the water
circulation from the tower. By this method there is removal up to 87.5%
carbon dioxide present in the raw gas. Wellinger, 1999, used the water
scrubbing system in manure slush type biogas plants in France, America
& Sweden. There is about 20-30% removal of carbon dioxide in the biogas
by this method. Biswas et al., 1977, done the experimental work by the
biogas bubbling with the ten percent solution of mono-ethanolamine, and
hence there is decrease in carbon dioxide from 40% to 0.7%. An important
advantage of using MEA is that it can be reutilized after boiling five
mints. Membrane separation technique is another possible method for the
biogas up-gradation. With the help of a thin membrane some gas

110|
 Journal of Quality and Technology Management

elements from the unrefined biogas could be transported. Normally the

elements with less than 1 mm thickness separated by the membrane,
while the other keep hold as it is. Due to the difference in the partial
pressure the respective components are transported through the
membrane, which is depending upon the component’s permeability in
the membrane. Cryogenic process for the up gradation of biogas includes
the partition of the mixtures of the gas by partial condensation and
distillation with low temperature. The main advantage of this technique is
that it permits to recover the up graded component in liquid form, which
is easily transportable. This work was carried out in Los Angeles County
Sanitation, who tried for the removal of carbon dioxide but couldn’t get
the required results. The drawback of this system is that it requires high
capital cost and utility demands (Berndt, 2006).

Biogas can be converted into bio methane with the help of two steps; a
cleaning process to remove the trace components and an upgrading
process to adjust the calorific value. Upgrading is generally performed in
order to meet the standards for use as vehicle fuel or for injection in the
natural gas grid (Ryckebosch, E., et. al., 2011).

2.1) Comparison of Techniques:

Different methods have been described for the removal of the unwanted
elements from biogas. Chemical absorption technique seems to be
efficient for the up gradation because absorbent are available specifically
for the removal of the different gas species, in which normally no risk of
methane removal. An imperative benefit of this technique is that it does
not require any special environmental conditions. This process normally
carries at the atmospheric conditions. Almost all hydrogen sulfide
elimination carried out by using this method. But there is need of safety
precaution before using this technique because of the presence of toxic
gases; due to which there is chance of chemical leakage.

In high pressure scrubbing of water the effects of dissolution of gases take

place physically. Due to the solubility difference in the water hydrogen
sulfide & carbon dioxide dissolves in the water, whereas methane does
not dissolved. A large amount of water needed for the water scrubbing
technique. This technique is not suggested, when the compositions of the
hydrogen sulfide are high, since the water can turn out to be polluted
with plain sulfur which can cause operational troubles.

|111
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

The pressure swing adsorption techniques divide some of the gas

contents at some specific pressure of the gases mixture. Hydrogen sulfide
adsorbed by the adsorbent material in irreversible way. The major
disadvantage of this technique is that it requires a separate mechanism or
set up for the removal of hydrogen sulfide. Next technique was cryogenic
separation in which different gases present in the biogas distillated under
the cryogenic conditions. These gases can be liquefying at certain
temperature and pressure. By using this process comparatively larger
quantities of the products with high purity rates can be achieved. The
drawback of this method is that it involves the use of several equipment
and devices, for example: compressors, heat exchangers, turbines,
insulators, and columns.

Another possible method for the up gradation of biogas is through

membrane separation. Due to filter present in the membrane carbon
dioxide & hydrogen sulfide go through the membrane while methane
does not. This technique is simple, but the problem with the cost of the
membranes which are costly.

3) EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP

3.1) Materials:

Cow dung used as input material for the production of biogas. Different
scrubbers were used for the up gradation of the biogas. The objective was
to remove the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the biogas. H2S
& CO2 scrubbers were installed at pilot scale plant. Biogas produced at
the plant passed through these scrubbers. One scrubber contained Iron
Sponge for the removal of hydrogen sulfide & the other contained
Activated Charcoal for the removal of carbon dioxide from the biogas.
Similarly, the biogas reacted with the different solutions of hydroxides for
up gradation. One molar Solutions of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH),
Potassium hydroxide (KOH) & Calcium hydroxide (Ca (OH)2) were
prepared. The gas passed through these solutions & the up gradation of
the biogas recorded after this process.

3.2) Plant Description:

The present work was carried out the pilot plant of Biogas installed at
KSK Campus, University of Engineering & Technology Lahore. The plant

112|
 Journal of Quality and Technology Management

producing the biogas average 7m3 per day. Cow dung used as input
resource at the plant. Plant is shown in the Figure 1 below. The average
temperature of the digester was 30~35°C & pressure of 90-120 mbar. The
cow dung & water used in the mixing tank unit with proportion of 1:1

Fig. 1: Schematic Diagram of Biogas Plant KSK Campus.

3.3) Instruments Used

The ATEX Certified, Portable Gas Detector used for biogas analysis.
Analyzer has two modes Standard Mode & Biogas Mode. Biogas Mode
was for the detection of CH4 and CO2 (0-100% Volume) of a gas sample
and the protection of personnel working within this environment by also
measuring the background levels of oxygen and H2S.

4) RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Fig. 2 shows the two weeks data for the quality of the biogas produced at
the pilot scale plant. Current study was focused for the removal of carbon
dioxide & hydrogen sulfide from biogas.

|113
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

120

100

80
composition

60 CH4 (%)
CO2 (%)
40 H2S (ppm)

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
No. of Days

Fig. 2: Raw Biogas Data

Fig. 3 compares the percentage of methane before and after the up

gradation through chemical absorption method. It is clear from the figure
that the sodium hydroxide solution upgraded more than that the other
hydroxides. This is due to the fact that Sodium hydroxide is the principal
strong base than the other hydroxides. The OH−, a highly nucleophilic
anion present in the solution attacks polar bonds in both inorganic and
organic materials.

114|
 Journal of Quality and Technology Management

Fig. 3: Up gradation of Methane

In this method the CO2 is also absorbed and transferred into aqueous 1M
solutions of hydroxides. Fig. 4 shows the removal of carbon dioxide,
when reacted with the solution of hydroxides of sodium, potassium &
calcium. 4-5% removal in the carbon dioxide was noted during the
experimentation.

Fig. 4: Removal of Carbon Dioxide

Fig. 5 shows the level of H2S level reduced in the biogas by passing the
gas through activated carbon. Activated carbon used to remove both H2S
and CO2. Activated carbon catalytically converts H2S to elemental sulfur.
Then the gas passed through iron sponge filter. Hydrogen sulfide then
scrubbed out from biogas in hydroxides solution solutions.

|115
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

Fig. 5: Removal of Hydrogen Sulphide

The average up gradation in the biogas, when treated with the iron
sponge & activated charcoal & then passing through the solutions of
sodium, potassium & calcium hydroxides after the removal of the carbon
dioxide & hydrogen sulfide is shown in the table (2). Table shows that
carbon dioxide removed up to 4-5 % % hydrogen sulfide as 55-60 ppm.
This method is locally designed & implemented at pilot plant installed at
KSK campus. The system requires no energy for operation. These are the
initial experimentation result for which the biogas data taken for 14 days.

Table 2: Average Up-gradation of Biogas

Raw Biogas NaOH KOH Ca(OH)2

CH4 (%) 58.09 63.85 62.44 60.77
CO2 (%) 39.67 35.27 34.69 34.08
H2S(ppm) 100 37.65 37.24 56.8

The environmental impact of the upgrading processes is an important

factor that can be used to compare the different techniques. If the
pollutants that are removed from biogas during upgrading are emitted in
the atmosphere, the contamination of the environment will run counter to
the goal of producing an environmentally-friendly fuel to replace current
fossil fuels. During the upgrading process CO2 is emitted in the
atmosphere as a waste stream. The used amine solution must be replaced
a few times a year and thus is also a waste. This solution can be separated

116|
 Journal of Quality and Technology Management

into a water phase and the amines using a membrane. The clean water
phase can then be purged to a river.

5) CONCLUSIONS

Biogas cleaning experimentation was done with the help of Chemical

Absorption Method at biogas plant KSK campus. The results showed the
up gradation in the methane (3-4%) & decrease in the carbon dioxide (4-
5%) & Hydrogen sulfide (40-45 ppm). Hydrogen sulfide reacts with iron
oxides to form iron sulfide. The chemical solutions used were sodium
hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. The upgraded
biogas will be utilized for cooking, heating, lightening & electricity.

In the present energy crisis, biogas utilization after up gradation can be

one of the cheapest methods for the power generation applications.
Biogas can be used as transportable fuel & for all other applications
designed for the natural gas after the removal of these elements. By
adopting the cleaning of biogas the waste manure of dung can be
managed i.e. this is the best way of solid waste management as well.

6) ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I acknowledged the extended help of Department of Chemical

Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology Lahore for
providing the facility for experimentation.

7) REFERENCES

Abdel-Hadi, M., “A simple apparatus for biogas quality determination”,

Misr J. Ag. Eng., Vol. 25, PP. 1055-1066.
Alonso-Vicario, A., Ochoa-Gómez, J.R., Gil-Río, S., Gómez-Jiménez
Aberasturi, O., Ramírez-López, C.A., Torrecilla-Soria, J. and
Dominguez, A., (2010), “Purification and upgrading of biogas by
pressure swing adsorption on synthetic and natural
zeolites”,Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, Vol. 134, pp.
100–107.
Bhattacharya, TK., Mishra, TN. and Singh, B. (1988), “Techniques for
removal of CO2 and H2S from biogas”, in 24th annual convention of
ISAE in PKV, Akola 1988.

|117
Biogas Up‐gradation for Power Generation Applications in Pakistan

Biswas, TD., Kartha, ARS. and Pundarikakhadu, R. (1977), “Removal of

carbon dioxide from biogas”, in Proceedings of national
symposium on biogas technology and uses in New Delhi, IARI
1977.
Berndt, Dr. A.S. (2006), “Intelligent Utilization of Biogas-Upgrading and
Adding to the Grid”, Jonköping, May 2006.
Ciccoli, R., Cigolotti, V., Lo Presti, R., Massi, E., McPhail, S.J.,
Monteleone, G., Moreno, A., Naticchioni, V., Paoletti, C.,
Simonetti, E. and Zaza, F. (2010), “Molten carbonate fuel cells fed
with biogas: Combating H2S”, Waste Management, Vol. 30, pp.
1018–1024.
Díaz, I., Lopes, A.C., Pérez, S.I. and Fdz-Polanco, M. (2010), “Performance
evaluation of oxygen, air and nitrate for the micro aerobic removal
of hydrogen sulphide in biogas from sludge digestion”, Bio
resource Technology, Vol. 101 pp. 7724–7730.
Khapre, UL. (1989), “Studies on biogas utilization for domestic cooking”,
in 25th annual convention of ISAE in CTAE, Udaipur 1989.
Ryckebosch, E., Drouillon, M. and Vervaeren, H. (2011), “Techniques for
transformation of biogas to bio methane”, Bio Mass and Bio
Energy, Vol. 35 pp. 1633-1645.
Shannon, R. (2000), Biogas conference proceedings, available at:
http://www.rosneath.com.all/ ipc6/ch08/shannon2/.
S.S. Kapdi, V.K. Vijay, S.K. Rajesh, Rajendra Prasad, (2004), “Biogas
scrubbing, compression and storage: perspective and prospectus in
Indian context”, Centre for Rural Development and Technology,
Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi 110 016, India.
Tippayawong, N. and Thanompongchart, P. (2010), “Biogas quality
upgrade by simultaneous removal of CO2 and H2S in a packed
column reactor”, Energy, Vol. 30, pp. 1-5.
Wellinger, A. and Lindeberg, A. (1999), “Biogas upgrading and
utilization”, Task 24: energy from biological conversion of organic
wastes, PP. 1–19.

118|