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Procedia138 (2017) 000–000
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2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
2017 AEDCEE, 25‐26 May 2017, Bangkok, Thailand
2017 AEDCEE, 25‐26 May 2017, Bangkok, Thailand

A
ATheDevelopment
15th International of
Development of Biogas
BiogasonPurification
Symposium District Heating System
Purification System
and Cooling
Using Calcium Hydroxide and
Using Calcium Hydroxide and Amine SolutionAmine Solution
Assessing the feasibility of using thea heat demand-outdoor
Aphichat Srichat a
, Ratchaphon Suntivarakorn a*, Khanita Kamwilaisakb
b
temperature
Aphichat function for a long-term
Srichata, Ratchaphon district
Suntivarakorn heatKamwilaisak
*, Khanita demand forecast
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand 40002
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand 40002
a,b,c a a b c
Correc
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand 40002
b
I. Andrić *, A. Pina
Department of Chemical
b
, P. Faculty
Engineering, Ferrão , J. Fournier
of Engineering, ., B.
Khon Kaen Lacarrière
University, Khon Kaen,, Thailand
O. Le40002
a
IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research - Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
b
Veolia Recherche & Innovation, 291 Avenue Dreyfous Daniel, 78520 Limay, France
Abstract c
Département Systèmes Énergétiques et Environnement - IMT Atlantique, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, 44300 Nantes, France
Abstract
This study presents a development of biogas purification system using Calcium Hydroxide and Amine solution. The
This study presents a development of biogas purification system using Calcium Hydroxide and Amine solution. The
liquid spray absorption tower was used to purify the biogas from layer chicken manure. The solution used in the
liquid spray absorption tower was used to purify the biogas from layer chicken manure. The solution used in the
experiment
Abstract were 5 types which were 1) pure water 2) Calcium hydroxide 0.1 mol, 3) Calcium hydroxide 0.2 mol, 4)
experiment were 5 types which were 1) pure water 2) Calcium hydroxide 0.1 mol, 3) Calcium hydroxide 0.2 mol, 4)
Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) 0.1 mol and 5) Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) 0.2 mol. The flow rate of the biogas was
Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) 0.1 mol and 5) Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) 0.2 mol. The flow rate of the biogas was
set at 5, 10
District and 15
heating l/min and
networks are the flow rate
commonly of solution
addressed was
in the varied by
literature 10, 20
as one andmost
of the 30 l/min .Thesolutions
effective time for experiment
decreasingwas
set at 5, 10 and 15 l/min and the flow rate of solution was varied by 10, 20 and 30 l/min .The time for forexperiment wasthe
set at 30 minutes
greenhouse for each
gas emissions fromsolution and flow
the building sector.rate.
These The biogas
systems composition
require was measured
high investments which arebefore
returnedandthrough
after biogas
the heat
set at 30 minutes for each solution and flow rate. The biogas composition was measured before and after biogas
purification
sales. Due tointheorder to testclimate
changed the efficiency
conditionsofand
this purification system. Fromheatthe experiment,
in theit future
was found
could that the
purification in order to test the efficiency of thisbuilding renovation
purification policies,
system. From the demand
experiment, it was found decrease,
that the
average ratio
prolonging theof methanereturn
investment and carbon
period. dioxide in biogas was 51.00% and 39.36%, respectively. The most effective
average ratio of methane and carbon dioxide in biogas was 51.00% and 39.36%, respectively. The most effective
solution
The mainfor biogas
scope purification
of this was Calcium
paper is to assess Hydroxide
the feasibility of using 0.2 mol demand
the heat which can give temperature
a maximum ratio of formethane at
solution for biogas purification was Calcium Hydroxide 0.2 mol which –can outdoor
give a maximumfunction ratio of heat demand
methane at
89.30%
forecast.atThe
solution
districtflow rate of 30
of Alvalade, l/mininand
located biogas
Lisbon flow ratewas
(Portugal), of used
5 l/min.
as aThecaseresults
study. revealed thatisthe
The district biogasofflow
consisted 665
89.30% at solution flow rate of 30 l/min and biogas flow rate of 5 l/min. The results revealed that the biogas flow
rates, typesthat
buildings of solution, theconstruction
solution flow ratesand
and concentration of the solutions
scenarioswere
(low,affected
medium,tohigh)
biogas
andpurification.
rates, types of vary in both
solution, the solution flow period
rates andtypology. Three weather
concentration of the solutions were affected to biogas three district
purification.
renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were
©compared
2017 Thewith results
Authors. from a dynamic
Published heatLtd.
by Elsevier demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors.
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review
©The
2017 The under
results responsibility
Authors.
showed Published
that of Elsevier
by
when only the scientific
weatherLtd. committee
change of the 2017
is considered, International
the margin Conference
of error on Alternative
could be acceptable for Energy in
some applications
Peer-review
­D eveloping under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2017 AEDCEE.
(the error inCountries
Peer-review under
annual and Emerging
responsibility
demand Economies.
wasoflower
the Organizing
than 20%Committee of 2017
for all weather AEDCEE.
scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation
scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered).
Keywords: Biogas, Purification system, Scrubber.
The valueBiogas,
Keywords: of slope coefficient
Purification increased
system, Scrubber.on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the
decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and
renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the
coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and
improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations.

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under
* Corresponding responsibility
author. of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and
Tel.: +66 43-202845
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +66 43-202845
Cooling.
E-mail address: ratchaphon@kku.ac.th
E-mail address: ratchaphon@kku.ac.th
Keywords:©Heat
1876-6102 2017demand; Forecast;
The Authors. Climatebychange
Published Elsevier Ltd.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2017 AEDCEE.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2017 AEDCEE.

1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in
­Developing Countries and Emerging Economies.
10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.196
442 Aphichat Srichat et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 441–445
2 Aphichat Srichat et al./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

1. Introduction

Biogas is produced from oxygen deprived organic degradation and can be used as a renewable thermal energy
source for the engines of vehicles [1]. At present, ranch operators use animal manure to produce organic fertilizers and
biogas while facing problems with the process flow efficiency biogas treatments [2].
Biogas is composed of important elements including CH4(%65-55),CO2(%45-30) ,H2S (< 4 000,ppm), and vapor
(< 1%). Improving the quality of the biogas by obliterating CO2 will increase the ratio of methane gas to a level similar
to that of natural gas so that it can be used as a fuel for vehicles [4]. With respect to the elimination of CO2 from
biogas, the results of studies conducted in both the steady state and isothermal (through NaOH absorption in the
compression column) were shown to eliminate up to 80% of CO2 [5]. Carbon dioxide was treated in the compression
column by an ammonia solution and a mass transfer process for absorption was controlled by the resistance of the
liquid and with the ammonia concentration [6]. A study was also made on CO2 absorption and exudation in the wet
wall column by using Mono Ethanolamine (MEA) and Piperazine (PZ) [7]. Another study removed carbon dioxide
and hydrogen sulfide with a suspension from rice husks [8]. In a laboratory experiment, Sodium hydroxide (NaOH),
Ethylene glycol (EG), Ethanoloamine (EA), Diethanoloamine (DEA), barbotage distilled water (H2O), bog iron ore
(BIO), and activated carbon (AC) were used in the absorption column [9]. The processes stated above are all high
efficient biogas treatments which can accomplish the following: 1) increase the ratio of methane gas, 2) reduce the
corrosion and damage on metal & parts and 3) change the attributes of the biogas to make it more similar to natural
gas. However, further research should also be concerned with cost efficiency and the effects of biogas treatments [10]
since it was found that these topics had rarely been included in pilot scale studies.
The aim of this study was, therefore, to develop a treatment system for biogas from chicken manure by spraying a
solution in the compression column. This is to be followed by a study on how the system worked by changing the
following: 1) the biogas flow rates, 2) the types of solutions, 3) the solution flow rates, 4) the solution concentrations,
and 5) the amounts of material for absorbing the biogas. The study was conducuted to compare the differences and
each solution type in order to find the system’s maximum value that could reduce carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide
during biogas treatments.

2. The Biogas Purification System

If the untreated biogas is used as fuel, it will result in incomplete combustion in the combustion chamber. Therefore,
before using biogas, it is necessary to treat the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide with the following: 1) water
scrubber technology, 2) pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology, 3) chemical adsorption technology, and 4)
membrane separation technology. For efficient combustion in the combustion chamber, quality biogas is a necessity
[11].

. Biogas treatments with distilled water, Calcium hydroxide, and Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) can be expressed by
the chemical reactions (1), (2), and (3), respectively [12].

H2O + CO2 → H2CO3 (1)

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 → CaCO3 + H2O (2)
2(R-NH2) + CO2 → RNHCOONH3R (3)

3. Experiments & Methods

3.1 The Experimental Equipment

The aim of this research was to develop and improve the quality of biogas in chicken farms by using spray tower
scrubbers. The scrubbers are a system designed to improve the quality of biogas by using chemical absorption
including the following: 1) FeS chemical scrubber tank, 2) Calcium Hydroxide or Mono Ethanol Amine scrubber tank,
and 3) a silica gel tank to remove vapor by as shown in Figure 1. This treatment system is effective in eliminating
carbon dioxide. However, the aims of the study did not include the removal of hydrogen sulfide.
 Aphichat Srichat et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 441–445 443
Aphichat Srichat et al./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 3

3.2 The Experimental Methods

The biogas treatment system, that was used for the experiment, is shown in Figure 2. Five different solutions were
used in the experiment: 1) pure water, 2) Calcium hydroxide (0.1mol), 3) Calcium hydroxide (0.2 mol), 4) Mono
Ethanol Amine (MEA) (0.1 mol), and 5) Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) (0.2 mol). The solution flow rate was fixed at
three levels: 10, 20, and 30 l/min and the biogas flow rate was fixed at 5, 10, and 15 l/min. The time used to test the
carbon dioxide absorption for each of the solutions was 30 minutes per solution per flow rate. The component values
of the biogas were measured both before and after the treatment to analyze the system’s ability to treat biogas.

Fig.1 Schematic Diagram Fig. 2 The Purification Biogas System

4. Results

4.1. The Biogas Component

The biogas, used in the experiment, had been derived from the chicken manure biogas system. The amount of
biogas generated differed from day to day depending on the time. The average component values in the biogas before
treatment are shown in Table 1. Also, the amount of biogas, generated each day, depended upon the COD of the waste
water from chicken manure that had been in the biogas generating system. The component values of the biogas for
each day were found to be similar.

Table 1. The Average Values of the Biogas Composition

Biogas component Average value
(%) CH4 51.00
(%) CO2 39.36
(%) O2 0.21
(ppm) H2S 2,940.61

4.2. The Removal of CO2 from Biogas by Pure Water

Carbon dioxide can be dissolved in water thus changing it to carbonic acid and transmuting it into bicarbonate and
carbonate. From the experiment, it was found that when the biogas and solution flow rates were changed, the amount
of methane changed only minimally because the carbon dioxide was unable to be dissolved by the water in the spray
tower water scrubber column. As a result, carbon dioxide could not be treated.
444 Aphichat Srichat et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 441–445
4 Aphichat Srichat et al./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

4.3. The Removal of CO2 from the Biogas by Calcium Hydroxide

After treating the biogas with a solution of calcium hydroxide at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 mol. And at different
biogas and solution flow rates, the amounts of CH4 remained are shown in Table 2. The highest level of methane
(89.3%) was achieved by using a calcium hydroxide solution of 0.2 mol. with a gas flow rate of 5 l/min. and a solution
flow rate of 30 l/min. Therefore, it was found that this treatment could increase the amount of methane when the
solution flow rate was high, but when the biogas flow rate was low. In other words, the biogas and solution flow rate
can affect the biogas treatment efficiency.

Table 2. The Removal of CO2 from Biogas by Calcium Hydroxide

Max. CH4 composition (%)
Biogas flow Calcium Hydroxide 0.1 mol Calcium Hydroxide 0.2 mol
(l/min) Solution flow (l/min) Solution flow (l/min)
10 20 30 10 20 30
5 59.9 75.4 81.1 58.8 78.3 89.3
10 58.5 74.0 77.7 57.6 75.5 87.4
15 55.2 70.3 71.7 56.7 70.7 84.3

4.4. The Removal of CO2 from Biogas by Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA)

Biogas treatments with an mono ethanolamine solution at a concentration of 0.1 mol., with a biogas flow rate of 15
liters/min., and solution flow rate of 10, 20, and 30 liters/min, were found to yield methane at the highest levels of
72.0%, 81.5%, and 72.3%, respectively. Biogas treatments with an Amine solution at a concentration of 0.2 mol, with
a biogas flow rate of 15 l/min, and with solution flow rates of 10, 20, and 30 l/min were found to contain methane at
the highest level of 73.5%, 75.3%, and 77.2%, respectively. This is shown in Figure 3.

Fig. 3 Biogas Purification from Mono Ethanolamine at a Biogas Flow Rate of 15 l/min

5. Conclusion

This research was conducted to develop a system that can be used to improve the quality of biogas in chicken farms
by using spray tower scrubbers. Before and after treatments, the component values of the biogas were measured by a
biogas analyzer. The biogas flow rate used in the treatment included 3 levels: 5, 10, and 15 l/min, while the solution
flow rates, used for treating the biogas, were 10, 20, and 30 l/min. The time used for the experiment was 30 minutes
per solution per flow rate. Test results showed that before treatment, biogas average component values included
methane 51.00% and carbon dioxide 39.36%. Tests with a solution of distilled water resulted in no changes or in very
minor ones. Tests with a calcium hydroxide solution with a concentration of 0.1 and 0.2 mol, resulted in the highest
 Aphichat Srichat et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 441–445 445
Aphichat Srichat et al./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 5

methane value of 81.1% and 89.3% when the biogas flow rate was 5 l/min and the solution flow rate was 30 l/min.
Tests on biogas treatments with an mono ethanolamine solution with concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 mol. resulted in the
highest methane levels of 81.5% and 77.2%, respectively. The highest level of methane (89.3%), produced from this
experiment, occurred when the biogas flow rate was 5 l/min. and solution flow rate was 30 l/min. With a 0.2 mol
calcium hydroxide solution, a low biogas flow rate, and a high solution flow rate; the biogas treatment was very
efficient because the low biogas flow rate had resulted in a high efficiency reaction with large amounts of solution.
Solutions with high concentrations were also more efficient in treating biogas. From the study, it was found that the
factors that had affected the change in the amount of carbon dioxide by liquid absorption had consisted of the
following: 1) the type of solution, 2) the concentration of the solution, 3) the flow rate of the biogas, and 4) the flow
rate of the solution used in the chemical treatment. These factors can increase the efficiency of carbon dioxide
absorption. The amounts of chemicals, dissolved in the water, can have an effect on carbon dioxide absorption. The
more contact that the liquid has with the gas, there is a greater degree of absorption that can occur. Therefore, if this
method is to be used in biogas treatments to provide the highest benefit, the previously discussed factors affecting
treatment must be taken into account. In addition, the cost and economics factors of this treatment solution must be
further examined.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the grant from The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), and Farm
Engineering And Automation Technology Research Group of Khon Kaen University for financial and laboratory
support in this project. The authors are also grateful to the Sriviroj Farm Co.Ltd for supporting the tools and equipment
used in this research.

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