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Copyright Fraunhofer UMSICHT, 2012

Contact:
Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Pflaum
Innovation Management and Industrial property rights
Osterfelder Strae 3
46047 Oberhausen
Germany
Fon:
-49 (0) 208-8598-1171
E-Mail: hartmut.pflaum@umsicht.fraunhofer.de

Biogas upgrading technologies

technical and financial aspects
Sabine Strauch
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

GreenGasGrids study tour

June 2012, Asten (A)

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Agenda

n FhG and Fraunhofer UMSICHT

n Status quo in Europe
n Overview on upgrading technologies
n Desulphurization
n Gas drying
n CO2 removal
n Flue gas treatment
n Financial aspects
n Summary

Slide 3
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Agenda

n FhG and Fraunhofer UMSICHT

n Status quo in Europe
n Overview on upgrading technologies
n Desulphurization
n Gas drying
n CO2 removal
n Flue gas treatment
n Financial aspects
n Summary

Slide 4
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
n One of the leading research
organisations in Europe
n 60 institutes at 40 locations in
Germany
n Offices in USA, Japan, China, Korea
etc.
n Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen,
Germany
n founded in 1990
n Research fields in
environmental, material,
process technology
n 24.8 mio turnover in 2011
n approx. 345 employees

Itzehoe
Lbeck
Bremen

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Berlin
Potsdam

Hannover

Teltow
Nuthetal
Braunschweig
Magdeburg
Paderborn
Cottbus
Oberhausen
Dortmund
Halle
Leipzig
Schkopau
Schmallenberg
Duisburg
Dresden
Sankt Augustin
Aachen
Ilmenau Jena
Chemnitz
Euskirchen
Darmstadt

Wrzburg

Kaiserslautern Wertheim
St. Ingbert
Saarbrcken
Karlsruhe

Erlangen
Nrnberg

Pfinztal
Stuttgart

Freiburg
Efringen-Kirchen

Slide 5

Rostock

Freising

Mnchen
Holzkirchen

Biogas technology
Fraunhofer UMSICHTs research
n Research in the field of biogas
n Process control and optimisation of biogas plant concepts
n Influence of micro nutrients and inhibiting components
n Biogas upgrading and injection to grid
n Biogas cleaning and desulphurization
n Biological methanation (power to gas)
n Services in the field of biogas
n Feasibility studies and technology evaluation
n Lab services (e.g. digestion tests)
n Engineering of pilot plants

Slide 6
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Agenda

n FhG and Fraunhofer UMSICHT

n Status quo in Europe
n Overview on upgrading technologies
n Desulphurization
n Gas drying
n CO2 removal
n Flue gas treatment
n Financial aspects
n Summary

Slide 7
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Biogas and biomethane production

Status quo in Europe

Country

Biomethane
Biomethane
plants
plants
feeding the
grid

Austria
Croatia
France
Germany
Hungary
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Slovakia
UK
Sweden
Switzerland
TOTAL

Slide 8
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

10
3
84
1
13
2
47
17
177

7
1
82
13
2
8
15
128

Biogas
plants
total
503
4
283
8.792
58
667
130
219
24
360
229
600
11.869

Agricultural

Biowaste
(incl.
organic
MSW)

Sewage

LFG

300
2
40
approx. 7000
36
300

55
98
92
32

134
1
74
1.700
14
135

14
1
71

17
12

2
60

14

23
140

8
200

approx. 200
12
100
135
460

> 200
57

Agenda

n FhG and Fraunhofer UMSICHT

n Status quo in Europe
n Overview on upgrading technologies
n Desulphurization
n Gas drying
n CO2 removal
n Flue gas treatment
n Financial aspects
n Summary

Slide 9
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Overview on upgrading technologies

Biogas composition

Raw biogas Desulphurization

CO2 removal

n Main components:
(dry gas)

CH4
CO2

50 - 65 Vol. %
35 - 50 Vol. %

n Humidity:

H2O

4 - 12 Vol. %

n Trace gases:
(exemption possible!)

H2S
50 10 000 mg/m3
NH3
< 100 mg/m3
Cl, F
< 0,2 mg/m3
Hydrocarbons < 10 mg/m3
Si-components
traces

Slide 10
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Gas drying

Biomethane

Overview on upgrading technologies

Biogas composition

Raw biogas Desulphurization

Rough
Roughdesulphurization
desulphurization
Sulfide
Sulfideprecipitation
precipitation
Biolog.
treatment
Biolog. treatment
Scrubbing
Scrubbing

Fine
Finedesulphurization
desulphurization
Activated
Activatedcharcoal
charcoal

Slide 11
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

CO2 removal

Gas drying

Biomethane

Cooling
Coolingwith
withcondensate
condensateremoval
removal
Adsorptive
Adsorptivedrying
drying
e.g.
silica
gel
e.g. silica gel
Scrubbing
Scrubbing
e.g.
e.g.glycol
glycol

Overview on upgrading technologies

CO2-removal

Raw biogas Desulphurization

CO2 removal

Biomethane in Germany
Technologies for CO2 removal (status March 2012)

Pressurised water scrubber

50

Pressure swing adsorption (PSA)

Membrane technology
(Cryogenic technology, Hybrid
Membrane/cryogenic)

PSA
Chem. Scrubber (amine)

40

Number of plants

Scrubbing with amine or

polyglycol solutions

Biomethane

Gas drying

Water scrubber
Polyglycol - scrubber

30

Membrane

20

10

0
2006

2007

2008

2009

Year

Slide 12
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

2010

2011

2012*

Overview on upgrading technologies

CO2 removal
Criteria

PSA

Water wash

Polyglycol
scrubber

Amine scrubber

Membrane
technology

Hybrid
Membrane/
Cryogenic

Fine desulphurization of RBG

required
Gas quality of product gas
[CH4 content in %]
Methane slip [% of RBG]
Operation pressure [bar]

Yes

No

Recommended

Yes*

Yes

Yes

> 96%

> 97%

> 97%

> 99%

>98%

>97%

<3%**
4-7

1-2%
5-10

1-2%
4-7

< 0,1%
0-5

0,6-6%**
5-11

0,26

< 0,25

0,24-0,33

<0,15

0,2-0,23

0,004%
Membrane: 6-10
Cryogenic:17
0,35-0,37***

No

No

Yes
(55-80 C)

Yes
(110-160 C****)

No

No

No
25

No
28

Yes
11

Yes
32

No
1

No
0

Electricity consumption
[kWh/Nm RBG, @product gas
7bar]
Heat demand (temperatur
level)
Demand for chemicals
References in Germany (ca.)

* dependent on type of amine

** strongly dependent on plant set up and mode of operation
*** energy recovery from CO2 condensation
**** dependent on operation pressure
RBG - raw biogas
Slide 13
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Overview on upgrading technologies

Technology suppliers (examples)
Suppliers of upgrading technology
(no claim to be complete!)

PSA

Viessmann CarboTech
ETW Energietechnik
Cirmac
Mahler AGS
XEBEC (Questair)

Water wash

Malmberg
Greenlane Biogas / Flotech
Ros Roca / YIT

Amine scrubber

MT Biomethan
Cirmac
Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services (BIS E.M.S.)
Dr. Gnther Engineering (DGE)
Dreyer & Bosse

Polyglycol scrubber

Haase Energietechnik
Schwelm Anlagentechnik

Membrane
technology

Axiom / Bebra Biogas

Envitec, MT Biomethan (Evonik Industries)
Cirmac
Pentair Haffmans BV

Slide 14
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Overview on upgrading technologies

Flue gas treatment
n Methane has a GHG potential of 25!
n Methane loss must be avoided, flue gas
containing methane has to be treated
n Available technologies:
n Thermal oxidation
n Catalytic oxidation
n Regenerating-thermal oxidation
n FLOX-burner

Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Slide 15
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Agenda

n FhG and Fraunhofer UMSICHT

n Status quo in Europe
n Overview on upgrading technologies
n Desulphurization
n Gas drying
n CO2 removal
n Flue gas treatment
n Financial aspects
n Summary

Slide 16
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Financial aspects of biomethane production

Overview
n Costs for biogas production depend on
n kind of substrate,
n plant size,
n applied technology,
n site conditions
n and many more.
n Biogas upgrading vary by technology (about 1-2 ct/kWhHHV)
n Total biomethane production costs of 6-8 ct/kWhHHV

Slide 17
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Summary

n Technology is available and proven at more than 170 plants throughout

Europe
n Different types of technologies, site conditions matter when choosing the
appropriate technology
n Methane emissions must be avoided e.g. by flue gas treatment and
appropriate mode of plant operation

Slide 18
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

FRAUNHOFER UMSICHT
Renewable Resources

Thanks for your

attention!
Contact
Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Osterfelder Strae 3
46047 Oberhausen, Germany
E-Mail:
info@umsicht.fraunhofer.de
Internet: www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de
www.biogaseinspeisung.de
Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Sabine Strauch
Tel:
+49 (0) 208-8598-1429
E-Mail:
sabine.strauch@umsicht.fraunhofer.de