Trace compounds of biogas from different biogas production plants

S. Rasi, A. Veijanen and J. Rintala

Energy, 2007, vol. 32, issue 8, 1375-1380

Abstract: Biogas composition and variation in three different biogas production plants were studied to provide information pertaining to its potential use as biofuel. Methane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulphur compounds were measured in samples of biogases from a landfill, sewage treatment plant sludge digester and farm biogas plant. Methane content ranged from 48% to 65%, carbon dioxide from 36% to 41% and nitrogen from <1% to 17%. Oxygen content in all three gases was <1%. The highest methane content occurred in the gas from the sewage digester while the lowest methane and highest nitrogen contents were found in the landfill gas during winter. The amount of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) varied from 5 to 268mgm−3, and was lowest in the biogas from the farm biogas plant. Hydrogen sulphide and other sulphur compounds occurred in landfill gas and farm biogas and in smaller amounts in the sewage digester gas. Organic silicon compounds were also found in the landfill and sewage digester gases. To conclude, the biogases in the different production plants varied, especially in trace compound content. This should be taken into account when planning uses for biogas.

Keywords: Landfill; Sewage treatment plant; Biogas plant; Methane; Volatile organic compounds (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (80)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544206003033
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:32:y:2007:i:8:p:1375-1380

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2006.10.018

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().