Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-30T20:59:35.258Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Syngas and Biogas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2022

Jacqueline O'Connor
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Bobby Noble
Affiliation:
Electric Power Research Institute
Tim Lieuwen
Affiliation:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Get access

Summary

Wood gas. Biogas. Syngas. Landfill Gas. Renewable Natural Gas. Production and use of renewable carbon-based gaseous fuels have a history stretching back centuries and even millennia, providing heat, light and power to support both rural development and urban industrialization. The processes used to generate these gaseous fuels can be separated into two categories: thermochemical and biological, producing syngas and biogas, respectively.  Thermochemical conversion processes produce a synthesis gas, abbreviated as syngas, which is a mixture composed primarily of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, but may also contain carbon dioxide and methane.

Type
Chapter
Information
Renewable Fuels
Sources, Conversion, and Utilization
, pp. 195 - 215
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdoulmoumine, N., Adhikari, S., Kulkarni, A., and Chattanathan, S. (2015). A review on biomass gasification syngas cleanup. Applied Energy, 155, 294307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baştabak, B. and Koçar, G. (2020). A review of the biogas digestate in agricultural framework. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 22, 1318–27.Google Scholar
Bisio, A. and Kabel, R. L. (1985). Scaleup of chemical processes: Conversion of laboratory scale tests to successful commercial size design. John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Burton, J., Caetano, T., and McCall, B. (2018). Coal transition in South Africa – understanding the implications of a 2°C-compatible coal phase-out for South Africa, IDDRI & Climate Strategies. www.iddri.org/sites/default/files/PDF/Publications/Catalogue%20Iddri/Rapport/20180609_ReportCoal_SouthAfrica.pdfGoogle Scholar
CA ARB (2016). Low Carbon Fuel Standard, California. Available at: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/lcfs-basicsGoogle Scholar
Canadell, J.G. and Schulze, E.D. (2014). Global potential of biospheric carbon management for climate mitigation. Nature Communications, 5, 5282.Google Scholar
Dale, B. E., Bozzetto, S., Couturier, C., Fabbri, C., Hilbert, J.A., Ong, R., Richard, T. L., Rossi, L., Thelen, K.D. and Woods, J. (2020). The potential for expanding sustainable biogas production and some possible impacts in specific countries. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 14, 1335–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2134Google Scholar
Dale, B. E., Sibilla, F., Fabbri, C., Pezzaglia, M., Pecorina, B., Veggia, E., Baronchelli, A., Gattoni, P., and Bozzetto, S. (2016). Biogasdoneright: An innovative new system is commercialized in Italy. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 10, 341–45.Google Scholar
Department of Energy. (2016). Gasification plant database, U.S. Department of Energy. National Energy Technology Laboratory.Google Scholar
Dölle, K., Hughes, T., and Kurzmann, D. E. (2020). From fossil fuels to renewable biogas production from biomass based feedstock – a review of anaerobic digester systems. Journal of Energy Research and Reviews, 5, 137.Google Scholar
Environmental Protection Agency (2014). Renewable fuel pathways II final rule to identify additional fuel pathways under renewable fuel standard program documents. Federal Register.Google Scholar
Environmental Protection Agency (2020). An overview of renewable natural gas from biogas. www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/documents/lmop_rng_document.pdfGoogle Scholar
Field, J. L., Richard, T. L., Smithwick, E. A. H, Cai, H., Laser, M. S., and Lebauer, D. S. (2020). Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of United States of America, 117(36), 21968–77. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1920877117Google Scholar
Geppert, F., Liu, D., van Eerten-Jansen, M., Weidner, E., Buisman, C., and ter Heijne, A. (2016). Bioelectrochemical power-to-gas: State of the art and future perspectives. Trends in Biotechnology, 34, 879–94.Google Scholar
Ghaib, K. (2018). Power-to-methane: A state-of-the-art review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 81, 433–46.Google Scholar
Grubert, E. (2020). At scale, renewable natural gas systems could be climate intensive: The influence of methance feedstock and leakage rates. Environmental Research Letters, 15, 084041.Google Scholar
Guilayn, F., Jimenez, J., Rouez, M., Crest, M., and Patureau, D. (2019). Digestate mechanical separation: Efficiency profiles based on anaerobic digestion feedstock and equipment choice. Bioresource Technology, 274, 180–89.Google Scholar
Guo, M., Song, W., and Buhain, J. (2015). Bioenergy and biofuels: History, status, and perspective. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 712–25.Google Scholar
Hansen, V., Müller-Stöver, D., Ahrenfeldt, J., Holm, J. K., Henriksen, U. B., and Hauggaard-Nielsen, H. (2015). Gasification biochar as a valuable by-product for carbon sequestration and soil amendment. Biomass and Bioenergy, 72, 300–08.Google Scholar
IEA (2021a). Gas Market Report Q3-2021. International Energy Agency. Available at: www.iea.org/reports/gas-market-report-q3-2021Google Scholar
IEA (2021b). World Energy Outlook. International Energy Agency. Available at: www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021Google Scholar
Kapoor, R., Ghosh, P., Kumar, M., and Vijay, V. K. (2019). Evaluation of biogas upgrading technologies and future perspectives: A review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(12), 11631–61.Google Scholar
Kerekes, R. J. (2006). Rheology of fibre suspensions in papermaking: An overview of recent research. Nordic Pulp and Paper Research Journal, 21, 598612.Google Scholar
LaFontaine, H. and Zimmerman, G. P. (1989). Construction of a simplified wood gas generator for fueling internal combustion engines in a petroleum emergency. ORNL 6404. Oak Ridge National Laboratory.Google Scholar
Linville, J. L., Shen, Y., Ignacio-de Leon, P. A., Schoene, R. P., and Urgun-Demirtas, M. (2017). In-situ biogas upgrading during anaerobic digestion of food waste amended with walnut shell biochar at bench scale. Waste Management and Research, 35, 669–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, G., Larson, E. D., Williams, R. H., Kreutz, T. G., and Guo, X. (2011). Making Fischer−Tropsch fuels and electricity from coal and biomass: Performance and cost analysis. Energy Fuels, 25, 415–37.Google Scholar
Lusk, P. (1998). Methane recovery from animal manures the current opportunities casebook. NREL/SR-580-25145. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.Google Scholar
Merrow, E. W. (1985). Linking R&D; to problems experienced in solids processing. Chemical Engineering Progress, 81, 1422.Google Scholar
Mintz, M. and Voss, P. (2020). Database of renewable natural gas (RNG) projects: 2020 update, Argonne National Laboratory. www.anl.gov/esia/reference/renewable-natural-gas-databaseGoogle Scholar
Minx, J. C., Lamb, W. F., Callaghan, M. W., Fuss, S., Hilaire, J., Creutzig, F., Amann, T., Beringer, T., de Oliveira Garcia, W., Hartmann, J., Khanna, T., Lenzi., D., Luderer, G., Nemet, G. F., Rogelj, J., Smith, P., Vicente, J. L. V, Wilcox, J., and del Mar Zamora Dominguez, M. (2018). Negative emissions – part 1: Research landscape and synthesis. Environmental Research Letters, 13, 063001.Google Scholar
Molino, A., Larocca, V., Chianese, S., and Musmarra, D. (2018). Biofuels production by biomass gasification: A review. Energies, 11, 131.Google Scholar
Myhre, G., Shindell, D., Bréon, F.-M., Collins, W., Fuglestvedt, J., Huang, J., Koch, D., Lamarque, J.-F., Lee, D., Mendoza, B., Nakajima, T., Robock, A., Stephens, G., Takemura, T., and Zhang, H. (2013). Anthropogenic and natural radiative forcing. In Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Stocker, T. F., Qin, D., Plattner, G.-K., Tignor, M., Allen, S. K., Boschung, J., Nauels, A., Xia, Y., Bex, V. and Midgley, P. M. (eds.). Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ren, J., Liu, Y. L., Zhao, X. Y., and Cao, J. P. (2020). Methanation of syngas from biomass gasification: An overview. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 45, 4223–243.Google Scholar
Reyes, C., Sinfelt, J. H., and Feeley, J. S. (2003). Evolution of processes for synthesis gas production: Recent developments in an old technology. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 42(8), 1588–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogelj, J., Shindell, D., Jiang, K., Fifita, S., Forster, P., Ginzburg, V., Handa, C., Kheshgi, H., Kobayashi, S., Kriegler, E., Mundaca, L., Séférian, R., and Vilariño, M.V. (2018). Mitigation pathways compatible with 1.5°C in the context of sustainable development. In Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty, Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pörtner, H.-O., Roberts, D., Skea, J., Shukla, P.R., Pirani, A., Moufouma-Okia, W., Péan, C., Pidcock, R., Connors, S., Matthews, J. B. R, Chen, Y., Zhou, X., Gomis, M. I., Lonnoy, E., Maycock, T., Tignor, M., and Waterfield, T. (eds.). Available at: www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/Google Scholar
Sandalow, D., Aines, R., Friedmann, J., McCormick, C., and Sanchez, D. L. (2021). Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) roadmap. ICEF. Available at: www.icef-forum.org/roadmap/Google Scholar
Schmid, C., Horschig, T., Pfeiffer, A., Szarka, N., and Thrän, D. (2019). Biogas upgrading: A review of national biomethane strategies and support policies in selected countries. Energies, 12, 3803.Google Scholar
Shen, Y., Forrester, S., Koval, J., and Urgun-Demirtas, M. (2017). Yearlong semi-continuous operation of thermophilic two-stage anaerobic digesters amended with biochar for enhanced biomethane production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, 863–74.Google Scholar
Shen, Y., Linville, J. L., Urgun-Demirtas, M., Schoene, R. P., and Snyder, S. W. (2015). Producing pipeline-quality biomethane via anaerobic digestion of sludge amended with corn stover biochar with in-situ CO2 removal. Applied Energy, 158, 300309.Google Scholar
Strübing, D., Huber, B., Lebuhn, M., Drewes, J. E., and Koch, K. (2017). High performance biological methanation in a thermophilic anaerobic trickle bed reactor. Bioresource Technology, 245, 1176–83.Google Scholar
Thema, M., Bauer, F., and Sterner, M. (2019). Power-to-gas: Electrolysis and methanation status review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 112, 775–87.Google Scholar
Tozzi, E. J., Lavenson, D. M., McCarthy, M. J., and Powell, R. L. (2013). Effect of fiber length, flow rate, and concentration on velocity profiles of cellulosic fiber suspensions. Acta Mechanica, 224, 2301–10.Google Scholar
Ullah, I., Ha, M., Othman, D., Hashim, H., Matsuura, T., Ismail, A. F. et al. (2017). Biogas as a renewable energy fuel – a review of biogas upgrading, utilisation and storage. Energy Conversion and Management, 150, 277–94.Google Scholar
Wall, D. M., Dumont, M., and Murphy, J. D. (2018). Green gas: Facilitating a future green gas grid through the production of renewable gas. IEA Bioenergy Task 37. Available at: www.iea-biogas.netGoogle Scholar
Wang, W. and Lee, D. J. (2021). Valorization of anaerobic digestion digestate: A prospect review. Bioresource Technology, 323, 124626.Google Scholar
Woods, J., Lynd, L. R., Laser, M., Batistella, M., de Castro Victoria, D., Kline, K., and Faaij, A. (2015). Land and bioenergy. In Bioenergy and sustainability: Bridging the gaps. Scientific Committee on Problems in the Environment (SCOPE) – FAPESP – BIOEN – BIOTA+10 – FAPESP Climate Change Souza, G. M., Victoria, R. L., Joly, C. A and Verdade, L. M. (eds.). São Paulo Research Foundation, pp. 258300.Google Scholar
Woolcock, P. J. and Brown, R. C. (2013). A review of cleaning technologies for biomass-derived syngas. Biomass and Bioenergy, 52, 5484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Worley, M. and Yale, J. (2012). Biomass gasification technology assessment consolidated report. NREL/SR-5100-57085. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO.Google Scholar
Wu, X., Schwartz, V., Overbury, S. H., and Armstrong, T. R. (2005). Desulfurization of gaseous fuels using activated carbons as catalysts for the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. Energy and Fuels, 19(4), 1774–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Z., Zhu, Z., Shen, B., and Liu, L. (2019). Insights into biochar and hydrochar production and applications: A review. Energy, 171, 581–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×