TECHNICAL STUDY

Process Description

a. Grinding
The plant receiving different types of manure coming from farm’s agricultural
wastes which are goat manures. They will be fed into a grinder to size reduced the
materials into fine particles especially dry manures. The purpose of grinding is for the
microorganisms easily degrade the material, thus, producing a higher yield of biogas
(Szkachta, J. & et. al. 2018).
Reference: (Szkachta, J., Prask, H., Fugol, M. & Luberanski, A., 2018). Effect of
mechanical pre-treatment of the agricultural substrates on yield of biogas and kinetics of
anaerobic digestion. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com>pdfPDF Effect of Mechanical
Pre-Treatment of the Agricultural Substrates on Yield ..-MDPI

b. Cutting
Meanwhile, the plant also receives rice stalks coming from farm’s crop residues.
They will cut into sections by a cutting machine. According to the research of Zhang, T.
& et. al (2013) they control a length of 2 to 3 cm in rice stalks and corn stalks, respectively.
These controlled sizes will be also the control of the equipment. Like the pre-treatment of
the goat manure, it is also helps the microorganisms easily decompose the material.

c. Mixer
After the pre-treatment of the two raw materials, they will be fed in a mixer with
water, controlling a total solid percent of 8%. The mixer will be combining the goat manure
and rice stalks with a ratio 1:1 total solids to achieve homogeneity.

d. Biodigestion
The mixture of goat manure and rice stalks are fed in a batch mesophilic anaerobic
digester wherein it is equipped with a slow speed stirrer and the controlled operating
condition such as temperature is in a range of 30 to 38oC and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 for the
mesophilic bacteria are able to grow. Since it is a batch digester, it will operate for 55
days. These days are based in their hydraulic retention time. In this biodigester, it will
produce digestate as a waste and a biogas containing mainly methane and carbon
dioxide.

e. Ammonia Gas Adsorption

Biogas is a mixture of gases and one of those are ammonia. The biogas is fed in
a packed column with an inlet water to absorbs ammonia. According to Crisalle, O.D.
(2013), ammonia is highly solube in water with an operating temperature of 25 oC and an
operating pressure of 1 atm The product, a biogas without ammonia will go for further
purification while it produces a waste consisting ammonia and water.
Reference: Crisalle, O.D. (2013). Ammonia gas absorption. Retrieved from University of
Florida website https://ww2.che.ufl.edu>GA-NH#PDF Web results Ammonia Gas
Absorption – Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida ...

f. Carbon Dioxide Adsorption

Carbon dioxide has the second largest percentage in biogas. The biogas will be
fed in a packed column with an inlet of 0.2 M Sodium Hydroxide solution to absorbs
carbon dioxide. It will operate in a temperature of 25oC and a pressure of 1 atm. There
are two adsorption process happening in the packed column; physical and chemical.
There will be an exothermic reaction of Sodium Hydoxide that reacts to Carbon Dioxide
forming Sodium Carbonate and water. The waste consist of sodium carbonte, water and
sodium hydroxide with a temperature of 50oC.

g. Cryogenic Tank
A cryogenic tank is a vessel used to store natural gases such as liquid oxygen and
hydrogen. The biogas will be cool to negative 150oC for 48 hours in a cryogenic tank with
a liquid nitrogen.

h. Compressor
The cooled methane gas will be fed in a pressure vacuum. The vacuum will exert
a 46 bars of pressure on the biogas and then it starts to condense producing a biogas in
liquid form. It is then ready for filling or storage.

Raw Material Description

a. Goat Manure
Goat manure is a carbonous matter with a total nitrogen content of 1.01% which is
significantly higher compared to other agricultural animal such as cattle's manure (0.35%) and
swine's manure (0.24%). Thus, it is a better material for co-digestion of crop residues because
it lowers the C/N ratio of that fibrous material. In addition, goat manure is insensitive to
acidification during anaerobic digestion which acidity is one of the main control in producing
biogas. For these reasons, goat manure is a potential and excellent raw material for anaerobic
digestion (Zhang, T. & et. al, 2013).

b. Rice straw
Rice straw is a lignocellulosic biomass from rice, the most common and abundant crop
in the world. Rice residues are potential as a source of carbon in anaerobic digestion but
among the residues, rice straw gives the highest biogas and methane yield. Under a
mesophilic condition, it yields to 0.43m³/kg biogas while under thermophilic condition, it
yields to 0.52m³/kg. It is also have a high C/N ratio which proves it has a potential in anaerobic
digestion (Velazquez, L.M. & et. al, 2012). In addition, rice straw is also the raw material used
for the first biogas facility in the Philippines (Bioenergy International, 2019). c. Water
Water is the universal solvent (e.g. making 0.2M Sodium Hydroxide solution) and
mainly used in many processes including in the pre treatment (e.g. substrate mixung). Water
also used in cleaning the equipments, cooling and material transport. It is also used to absorbs
ammonia because ammonia is very soluble on it (Crisalle, O.D., 2013).

d. Sodium Hydroxide
Sodium Hydroxide or also known as lye or caustic soda is an inorganic compound which
it is a strong alkali that. It has a chemical formula NaOH. It is highly soluble in water and it can
easily absorbs carbon dioxide from air (Wikipedia, 2020).
 FLOWCHART

GOAT MANURE RICE STRAWS

GRINDER WATER CUTTER

MIXER

BIODIGESTER

SODIUM HYDROXIDE
NH3 GAS
WATER
ABSORBER WATER

SODIUM CARBONATE
SODIUM
HYDROXIDE CO2 GAS
SODIUM HYDROXIDE
ABSORBER

WATER
CRYOGENIC TANK

COMPRESSOR

FILLING

TRANSPORT
AND
STORAGE