Open AccessImprovements in a Membrane-separation-type Biogas Refining-compression-filling (RCF) Facility for Dairy-farming Areas in Japan
Author(s) -
Yuya Kimura,
Takeshi Suzuki,
Seiichi Yasui,
Kota Ishii,
Inano Ichiro,
Hideyuki Takenaka,
Takahisa Hinata,
Haruhiro Fujita
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/749/1/012015
Subject(s) - biogas , methane , environmental science , waste management , refining (metallurgy) , process engineering , pulp and paper industry , engineering , materials science , chemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy
A method to directly use biogas as a gaseous energy source was investigated. Utilizing this method, a prototype “refining-compression-filling (RCF) facility” for biogas, which uses membrane separation, was developed. The facility forms the core of a system for supplying dairy farms and facilities in suburbs with energy by filling gas cylinders with biogas reformed to a high calorific value. The recovery rate of methane from the biogas achieved by this prototype is about 80%, and for mass production of equipment, the officials and manufacturers in municipalities introducing the facility have requested further improvement in the methane-purification efficiency of the RCF facility. The purpose of this study was to establish optimal arrangements of the membrane module unit for improving the methane-purification efficiency of the biogas-dedicated purification RCF facility. The results of this study showed that a combination of three membrane modules arranged in series (a “three-stage-module in-series type”) was found to effectively increase the methane concentration to about 99%. To further increase methane-recovery rates, a module configuration that combines the series and parallel arrangements of modules (“three-stage-module composite type”) was found to effectively increase the methane recovery rate to approximately 95%.