Assignment

 Submitted To :
Sir Faisal
 Submitted By :
Alesha Khalid
 Roll no :
103-20124
 Department :
Microbiology
 Semester :
Bs 7th
 Subject :
Applied Microbiology and
Biotechnology
BIOMETHANE :
Definition:
“The term biomethane is used to describe methane that was
derived from biomass .”
“ Biomethane is methane produced from the biomass with
properties close to natural gas .”
Biomethane has comparable properties to natural gas and thus can be
transported and stored in the available facilities and infrastructure.
BIOMETHANE And BIOGAS :-
Biomethane, a refined form of biogas, is a direct substitute for natural
gas in national grids. Biomethane certificates enable companies to
make 100% renewable fuel claims and integrate clean energy into
sustainability strategies.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIOMETHANE AND BIOGAS :-
Biogas is a combination of methane, CO2, and other gaseous
substances obtained from the controlled decomposition of organic
matter. Once cleaned or upgraded, it is turned into biomethane, a
compound identical to the natural fossil gas that runs through national
grids.
Biomethane is virtually carbon neutral. As it grows, the biomass used to
produce it captures CO2, which returns to the atmosphere during
combustion and is then captured again by new biomass.
Biomethane and biogas are often called “green gas”, a broader
category that includes other renewable fuels of non-biological origin
such as green hydrogen and syngas.
 COMPOSITION OF BIOMETHANE :-

 PROCESSES TO PRODUCE BIOMETHANE :-

  Process of biomethane production :-
Currently available processes to produce biomethane are.
(1) Anaerobic digestion followed by upgrading
(2) Biomass gasification followed by methanation. In addition, methane
can also be produced by combining CO2 with H2 in a Power to Methane
pathway when using biomass-derived CO2.
(3). All these pathways use different feedstocks and conversion
technologies.

 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION:-
The process of methane production from biological waste biomass
through anaerobic digestion:
Feedstock Selection: Various types of organic materials can serve as
feedstock, including agricultural residues, food waste, animal manure,
and sewage sludge. The choice depends on availability, composition,
and desired outcomes.
Preparation and Size Reduction: Biomass may undergo preprocessing
to facilitate digestion. Size reduction through chopping or grinding
increases the surface area, enhancing microbial access to the organic
matter.
Loading the Digester: The prepared biomass is introduced into an
anaerobic digester. This can be a sealed tank or lagoon where anaerobic
conditions are maintained.
Sealed Environment: The digester is sealed to create an oxygen-free
environment, as anaerobic microorganisms function optimally in the
absence of oxygen.
Hydrolysis: Complex organic molecules in the biomass are broken down
into simpler compounds through hydrolysis. Enzymes secreted by
bacteria and other microorganisms facilitate this process.
Acidogenesis: Simple compounds from hydrolysis are further broken
down into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and other intermediate products
through acidogenesis.
Acetogenesis: VFAs are then converted into acetic acid, hydrogen, and
carbon dioxide in the acetogenesis stage.
 Methanogenesis: Methanogens, specialized microorganisms,
convert acetic acid, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide into methane and
carbon dioxide. This step is crucial for methane production.
Biogas Formation: The methane produced, along with carbon
dioxide and traces of other gases, constitutes biogas. The
composition of biogas depends on the feedstock and the efficiency of
the digestion process.
Gas Collection and Utilization: Biogas can be collected from the
digester and utilized for various purposes. It can be burned for heat,
used for electricity generation, or processed for injection into natural
gas pipelines.
 Biogas processed to a biomethane
Biogas from anaerobic digesters can be processed to a gas with higher
CH4 content referred to as biomethane or renewable gas. The amount
of unwanted contaminants removed from the produced biogas depends
on the final end-use of the gas. Most often water vapour and H2S
removal is required, except when the gas is to be compressed and used
as a vehicle fuel then it is recommended that CO2 is also substantially
removed when the gas is to be fed into the gas grid it has to meet
standards imposed by gas quality regulations within a particular region,
The need for processing biogas is significant, not least because of the
corrosive nature of H2S, bacteria (via microbially-induced corrosion)
and water vapour in the gas.
As a result various methods are deployed to purify biogas, which
include processes whereby the raw biogas stream is absorbed or
scrubbed to remove the contaminants, leaving up to 98% methane per
unit volume of the gas stream.
  Impurities removal :-
Water vapour and H2S removal :
Water vapour must be removed in order to meet pipeline quality
standards or CNG vehicle fuel standards. The removal methods may be:
 Physical separation: The simplest way of removing water vapour
is through refrigeration. The condensed water droplets are
entrapped and separated by either using a demister or cyclone
separators.
Adsorption drying: The chemical method of gas drying involves
elevating the pressure of the gas and feeding it through a column
containing an adsorbent component such as silica. This is a
continuous cyclic process and the bed is regenerated thermally to
release the water as water vapour every few hours .
 H2S removal :-
H2S required to avoid corrosion issues in piping, engines, compressors.
H2S is extremely reactive with most metals, and this reactivity is
enhanced by the presence of water, elevated temperatures, pressures
and concentrations. It reacts with iron oxide or iron hydroxide to form
iron sulphide and water, the iron oxide can then be regenerated using
oxigene.
 Co2 removal : CO2 Removal is essential for enhancing the
energy value of biogas. As the CO2 is removed, the relative density
of the gas is decreased and the calorific value increased,
increasing the Wobbe Index.
Methods to remove CO2 :-
There are 3 main methods used commercially for the removal of CO2
from biogas
a. Physical separation
 b. Chemical separation
c. Cryogenic separation

1.Physical absorption
One of method of separating CO2 from CH4 is by scrubbing the raw gas
with water to remove CO2, that is more soluble in water than CH4 the
raw gas is introduced to the bottom of a vertical column at pressure
(typically between 1000-2000kPa). Water is then fed to the top of the
column which is usually equipped with random packing to provide the
surface area needed to facilitate mass transfer between the gas and
liquid. As the gas flows up the column the concentration of CO2
decreases during which the gas becomes richer in CH4. The processed
biogas then leaves from the top of the column. In order to remove the
methane from the water, the water leaving at the bottom of the column
is partially depressurised in a flash tank. This releases the CH4 rich gas
which is recycled with the untreated biogas. Water is regenerated using
a desorption column, where it is brought in contact with air or steam to
strip the CO2 from it.
2.Chemical absorption
This method uses an amine at slightly elevated pressures to absorb the
CO2 present in biogas. The amine is then regenerated with steam or
heat to separate and recover the CO2. This is, however, an energy
intensive process compared to other methods for absorbing CO2
3.Cryogenic separation :-
CH4 has a boiling point of -161°C while CO2 boils at -78°C which means
that CO2 can be separated from biogas as a liquid by cooling the gas
mixture at elevated pressure CH4 can be extracted as a liquid or vapour
depending on how the system has been designed this is an energy
intensive process .

 BIOMASS GASIFICATION :-
The process of biomass gasification uses woody biomass as feedstock
and applies high temperatures of 700-800°C and high pressure in a low-
oxygen environment. This results in a mixture of gases like carbon
monoxide, hydrogen and methane, called syngas. In the methanation
process, this syngas is cleaned and the following methanation step
produces pure biomethane (BIOSYG) and removes CO2 , H2O and other
unwanted components.
  POWER TO METHANE :-
The Power to Methane (P2M) process presents a way to store
renewable electricity surpluses in gaseous form (methane). In this
process, electricity surplus is used for electrolysis, whereas water is
hydrolysed to create hydrogen. CO2 is used for the methanation of the
hydrogen. CO2 can be derived from biomassbased processes (e.g.
biogas or bioethanol production), from ambient air, or from the flue gas
of installations burning fossil sources. Depending on the source of CO2,
the resulting methane is either a biofuel, a renewable fuel of non-
biological origin, or a recycled carbon fuel. All of these have GHG
emission benefits over fossil methane.

 Production of biomethane through the power to methane

process
BIOMETHANE UTILIZATION :-
Biomethane is a renewable natural gas. It is made by upgrading biogas
that is produced by the controlled decomposition of biodegradable
waste products or other substrates. It can serve as a substitute for
natural gas in transportation, heating, cooling, and power generation.
The upgrading is in fact only a separation or concentration process.
Carbon dioxide and smaller fractions of trace elements in raw biogas
are separated from ethane, as shown in figure:

The resulting gas, mainly methane, is a fuel with a high energy volume
and with properties similar to natural gas. The latter aspect is the
reason for the additional effort of the upgrading process. Raw biogas is
also suited for combustion and energy production, but the upgrading to
biomethane brings a crucial advantage, namely an energy carrier with
properties that allow a utilization in an existing infrastructure of power
supply ( transportation in natural gas grids, storage in conventional gas
stores, utilization in gas engines, boilers, vehicles, etc)
Today, different upgrading technologies are used for the gas upgrading
process, each with different advantages and disadvantages. In another
report of this project, ‘Factsheets on current biogas/biomethane
handling practices’ , detailed depictions of the upgrading process,
different technologies and technical and economical boundary
conditions.