FACT SHEET

Upgrading Biogas to Biomethane

FACT SHEET Upgrading Biogas to Biomethane

On farm Biogas plant

Introduction to Anaerobic Digestion (AD)

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is the process whereby organic matter is
broken down by bacteria and enzymes in an oxygen-free environment.
The organic matter is released as biogas; this is a mixture of the
combustible gas methane (50-75%), carbon dioxide (25-45%), small
amounts of water (2-7%) and trace gases. This process occurs in bogs,
landfill and in the stomachs of animals.
The type of feedstock used by anaerobic digesters varies; it can include
pig or cattle slurry, food waste, energy crops (grass silage, maize-silage,
grain), municipal solid waste from households and organic solid waste
from industry. Materials with high lignin content, e.g. any kind of wood,
are not suitable for biogas production.
Feedstock is pumped into a closed vessel (digester) which has been
inoculated with suitable bacteria. Anaerobic (0% oxygen) conditions
are then maintained in the vessel and the temperature is held at a
constant value (typically 40 C).
On-farm digester model source: FNR

The produced biogas can be upgraded to natural gas (fossil) quality

and injected into the gas grid or used as a vehicle fuel but is normally
used on site to generate heat and electricity in a Combined Heat and
Powerunit (CHP).
The biogas yield depends on the composition of the feedstock and
on the ambient conditions in the digester (e.g. temperature, retention
time). It is possible that the same feedstock could have different gas
yields. From one cubic meter biogas approximately 2 kWh electricity
and 2 kWh heat can be produced depending on the CHP unit and gas

composition (e.g. 55% CH4 content in the biogas, 20 mega joule (MJ)/
m3, 38% electrical and thermal efficiency CHP unit).
The residue or digestate of the AD process can be separated into a
liquid and fibrous fraction. The liquid can be returned to the land as
a high value fertiliser and the solid fibre used as a soil conditioner.
Fermentation improves the quality of manure as nutrients are
more available for plants and pathogens and weed seeds are killed.
Furthermore, as odours are broken down and neutralised during the
fermentation process the development of odours during liquid manure
storage and spreading is greatly reduced.
Organic products from industry which are used to produce biogas
provide interesting agricultural opportunities. By using organic
residues such as distillers pulp, grease or food wastes, the natural
material cycles (carbon and nitrogen) is closed and provides a
recirculation of the nutrients into agriculture.
Biogas technologies contribute to environmental protection by releasing
no carbon dioxide (CO2) in comparison to fossil fuels. Energy from biogas
is largely CO2 neutral because the CO2 released from burning biogas was
already removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. The
fermentation of manure also reduces emissions from methane, a gas that
would have far more devastating effects on the climate than CO2 if it
escaped uncontrolled from raw liquid manure.

Biomethane
Upgrading of biogas has gained increased attention due to rising oil
and natural gas prices and increasing targets for renewable fuel quotas

FACT SHEET Upgrading Biogas to Biomethane

in many countries. New plants are continually being built. According
to the International Energy Agency Task 37 (Energy from Biogas) the
number of upgrading plants was around 100 in 2009.

been retro-fitted with a compressed gas tank and a gas supply

system, in addition to the fossil fuel system. There are also specially
built biogas vehicles, which are optimised for better efficiency and
more convenient placement of gas cylinders, without losing luggage
space. The biogas is stored at 200 to 250 bars, in pressure vessels,
made of steel or aluminium composite materials. Today, more than 50
manufacturers worldwide offer some 250 models of commuter, light
and heavy duty gas driven vehicles.
Heavy duty vehicles can be converted to run on methane gas only,
but in some cases also dual fuel engines are used. A dual fuel engine
uses a diesel injection system and the gas is ignited by injection of
a small amount of diesel oil. Dual fuel engines require less engine
development and maintain the same driveability as a diesel vehicle.

Source: IEA bioenergy Task 37: Energy from Biogas

Biogas can be upgraded to biomethane and injected into the natural

gas grid to substitute natural gas or can be compressed and fuelled
via a pumping station at the place of production. The advantage of
injection and gas utilisation for example by a CHP in a village, is that
both electricity and heat can be fully used. In addition, the medium
or high pressure gas grid can serve as storage because pressure can
vary. Injected biomethane can be used at any ratio with natural gas as
vehicle fuel.

Biomethane as vehicle fuel

Utilisation of biogas in the transport sector is a technology with great
potential and with important socio-economic benefits. Biogas is
already used as vehicle fuel in countries like Sweden, Germany and
Switzerland.
The number of private cars, public transportation vehicles and trucks
driven on biogas (biomethane) is increasing. Biomethane can be used
as fuel in the same way and by the same vehicles like the natural gas.
An increasing number of European cities are exchanging their diesel
buses with biomethane driven ones.
Many biogas driven private cars are converted vehicles which have

Biomethane vehicles have substantial overall advantages compared

to vehicles equipped with petrol or diesel engines. The overall carbon
dioxide emissions are drastically reduced, depending on the feedstock
substrate and origin of electricity (fossil or renewable) used for gas

FACT SHEET Upgrading Biogas to Biomethane

upgrading and compressing. Emission of NOx and Non Methane
Hydrocarbons (NMHC), particles and soot are also reduced, even
compared with very modern diesel engines, equipped with particle
filters.
At the end of 2010 there were more than 1.4 million natural gas
vehicles (NGV) running in Europe including 145,000 buses and 108,000
trucks. In total, there were 2,600 public and 1,100 private fuelling
stations available. Most of the private stations are city owned to refuel
public transport buses and waste trucks.
Sweden is leading the way in biomethane with a 55% share of all
gas used in vehicles followed by Switzerland with 22%. So far nine
countries in Europe allow injection of biomethane. Most of the gas
driven light duty vehicles are retro-fitted by specialized workshops.
Some others are factory built like from Fiat, Opel or Volkswagen.

Biomethane for grid injection

Biomethane can be injected and distributed through the natural gas
grid, after it has been compressed to the pipeline pressure. In many
EU countries, the access to the gas grid is guaranteed for all biogas
suppliers.
There are several advantages of using the gas grid for distribution of
biomethane. One important advantage is that the grid connects the
production site of biomethane, which is usually in rural areas, with
more densely populated areas. This enables the gas to reach new
customers. It is also possible to increase the biogas production at a
remote site, without concerns about utilisation of heat excess. Grid
injection means that the biogas plant only needs a small CHP unit for
the process energy or a biogas burner.
Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and France have introduced standards
(certification systems) for injecting biogas into the natural gas grid. The
standards, prescribing the limits for components like sulphur, oxygen,
particles and water dew point, have the aim of avoiding contamination
of the gas grid or the end users. The Wobbe index was introduced, to
avoid influence on gas measurements and end use. The standards are
in most cases easily achievable through current upgrading processes.
For this kind of application, landfill gas can be difficult to upgrade to
acceptable quality due to its high nitrogen content.
In Europe, biogas feed plants are in operation in Sweden, Germany,

Biogas pipes

Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and France. The main barriers

for biomethane injection are the high costs of upgrading and grid
connection. Grid injection is also limited by location of suitable
biomethane production and upgrading sites, which have to be close to
the natural gas grid.

Cleaning of biogas for upgrading

Biogas can be distributed through the existing natural gas networks
and used for the same purposes as natural gas or it can be compressed
and used as renewable vehicle fuel. Prior to injection into the natural
gas grid or to utilisation as vehicle fuel, biogas must undergo an
upgrading process, where all contaminants as well as carbon dioxide
are removed and the content of methane must be increased from the
usual 50-75% to more than 95%. The upgraded biogas is often named
biomethane. Various technologies can be applied for removal of
contaminants.
Removal of carbon dioxide is done in order to reach the required
Wobbe index of gas. When removing carbon dioxide from biogas,
small amounts of methane (CH4) are also removed. As methane has

FACT SHEET Upgrading Biogas to Biomethane

a 23-fold stronger greenhouse gas effect than CO2, it is important
to keep methane losses low, for both economic and environmental
reasons. Two common methods of removing carbon dioxide from
biogas are absorption (water scrubbing, organic solvent scrubbing)
and adsorption (pressure swing adsorption, PSA). Less frequently
used are membrane separation, cryogenic separation and process
internal upgrading, which is a relatively new method, currently under
development.
Apart from methane and carbon dioxide, biogas can also contain
water, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen, oxygen, ammonia, siloxanes and
particles. The concentrations of these impurities are dependent on the
composition of the substrate from which the gas was produced.
In those upgrading technologies where carbon dioxide is separated
from the biogas, some of the other unwanted compounds are also
separated. However, to prevent corrosion and mechanical wear of the
upgrading equipment itself, it can be advantageous to clean the gas
before the upgrading.
Several techniques for biogas upgrading exist today and they are
continually being improved. In parallel, new techniques are under
development. These new developments, both for new and more
traditional techniques, can lower investment costs and operational
costs. The developments can also lead to other advantages such as
lower methane emission which is important from both an economical
and environmental perspective.

Upgrading technologies
Upgrading of biogas or landfill gas to Biomethane is defined as removal
of carbon dioxide from the biogas. This will result in an increased
energy density since the concentration of methane is increased to up
to 95%. Several technologies for biogas upgrading are commercially
available and others are at the pilot or demonstration level.
For more detailed information please visit www.iea-biogas.net

Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)

l Carbon dioxide adsorption by activated carbon or zeolites under

elevated pressure
l Regeneration by decrease in pressure
l Four to nine upgrading vessels in parallel
l Water and hydrogen sulphide have first to be removed

Water Scrubbing
l Most common upgrading technology
l Carbon dioxide dissolves in water (more soluble that methane)
l Methane dissolves to a much lower extend

Biogas Verstaerker, Ronnenberg

l Increase concentration of methane in the gas

l Dissolved methane recovered in flash tank
l Water regenerated in desorption column (Carbon dioxide is

released)

Organic physical scrubbing

l Similar to water scrubbing
l Carbon dioxide is absorbed in an organic solvent such as

polyethylene glycol
l Organic solution is regenerating by heating

Chemical scrubbing
l Chemical scrubbers use amine solution
l Carbon dioxide binds chemically to liquid but also reacts chemically

with the amine (e.g. MEA, Monoethanolamine)

l Selective reaction
l Low methane losses
l Regeneration by heating of the solution

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Wilton Park House
Wilton Place
Dublin 2
Ireland
t +353 1 808 2100
f +353 1 808 2002

e info@seai.ie
w www.seai.ie

Other technologies are currently under development such as

separation by membranes.

For more information about biogas and Biomethane please

visit:
www.seai.ie/bioenergy/
www.iea-biogas.net

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is partly

financed by Irelands EU Structural Funds Programme cofunded by the Irish Government and the European Union