Low Cost Biogas Power Generation with Increased Efficiency and Lower Emissions
Biogas pre-conditioning for combined heat and power applications
InnoSepra, LLC
Recipient
Middlesex, NJ
Recipient Location
$1,236,591
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
InnoSepra's gas conditioning system was upgraded and delivered to the Simi Valley landfill in September, 2018. The system has been functioning as designed, and the project team has focused on accumulating hours of operation. InnoSepra was unable to make a second deployment at a digester site due to time constraints. The outcome at the landfill site shows that the absorption process is capable of upgrading landfill gas with up to 200 ppm hydrogen sulphide to renewable natural gas. Economic modeling suggests that the temperature swing regeneration will reduce process power consumption by 50%, resulting in significant cost reduction compared to alternative processes (amine absorption, membranes, pressure-swing absorption).
The Issue
Conventional biogas purification technologies used for biogas upgrading have high capital and operating costs, and have not been used commercially in power generation applications. Innovative technologies and physical sorbents to effectively remove multiple impurities from raw biogas in a single step prior to power generation would enable a significant reduction in the capital and operating costs and energy required for biogas purification. The use of purified biogas for power generation can provide significant cost, efficiency, and environmental benefits in combined heat and power generation applications.
Project Innovation
This project deployed a pre-commercial technology demonstrating a sorbent-based biogas purification process for combined heat and power generation at the pilot scale that removes multiple troublesome impurities from biogas, upgrading the fuel to near-pure methane for combustion in conventional prime movers. The pilot plant was installed and tested at a landfill site to demonstrate the environmental and cost benefits of biogas purification prior to use in combined heat and power applications.
Project Benefits
The project is advancing an innovative gas clean-up system based on a temperature swing adsorption concept that adsorbs carbon dioxide and other contaminants while letting methane pass through and that regenerates the adsorbent bed, resulting in lower cost of operation. Converting biogas to high purity biomethane enables its use in premium efficient devices for power generation, thereby helping reduce the cost of electricity. This technological approach will help meet renewable electricity goals at a lower cost and will enable use of marginal biogas sources for power generation applications using conventional natural-gas fired prime movers.
Affordability
This project is expected to lower costs by reducing the number of stages required to condition biogas to meet fuel specifications of most prime movers.
Environmental Sustainability
The project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by increasing the use of renewable fuel and replacing fossil-derived methane for electricity generation. The project will also result in fewer methane emissions by reducing the fla
Key Project Members
Ravi Jain
Subrecipients
ES Engineering, Inc. formerly Environ Strategy Consultants, Inc.
Match Partners
ES Engineering, Inc. formerly Environ Strategy Consultants, Inc.
Waste Management of California, Inc
InnoSepra, LLC
