Biogas Purification: A Comparison of Adsorption Performance in D4 Siloxane Removal Between Commercial Activated Carbons and Waste Wood-Derived Char Using Isotherm Equations

Agri-food waste biosorbents for volatile organic compounds removal from air and industrial gases - A review

Approximately 1.3 billion metric tons of agricultural and food waste is produced annually, highlighting the need for appropriate processing and management strategies. This paper provides an exhaustive overview of the utilization of agri-food waste as a biosorbents for the elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from gaseous streams. The review paper underscores the critical role of waste management in the context of a circular economy, wherein waste is not viewed as a final product, but rather as a valuable resource for innovative processes. This perspective is consistent with the principles of resource efficiency and sustainability. Various types of waste have been described as effective biosorbents, and methods for biosorbents preparation have been discussed, including thermal treatment, surface activation, and doping with nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur atoms. This review further investigates the applications of these biosorbents in adsorbing VOCs from gaseous streams and elucidates the primary mechanisms governing the adsorption process. Additionally, this study sheds light on methods of biosorbents regeneration, which is a key aspect of practical applications. The paper concludes with a critical commentary and discussion of future perspectives in this field, emphasizing the need for more research and innovation in waste management to fully realize the potential of a circular economy. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners interested in the potential use of agri-food waste biosorbents for VOCs removal, marking a significant first step toward considering these aspects together.

Design and Performance of an Adsorption Bed with Activated Carbons for Biogas Purification

Organic waste can be efficiently converted into energy using highly efficient energy systems, such as SOFCs coupled to the anaerobic digestion process. SOFC systems fed by biogenous fuels, such as biogas or syngas, suffer long-term stability due to trace compound impacts. It follows that, a mandatory gas cleaning section is needed to remove these pollutants at lower concentrations. This work investigates the adsorption mechanism for micro-contaminant removal through experimental results achieved using solid sorbents. Samples of different sorbent materials were analyzed in the laboratory to determine their performances in terms of sulfur (mainly hydrogen sulfide) and siloxanes (mainly D4-Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) adsorption capacities. The analysis shows that the chemical composition of the samples influences the adsorption of H₂S (i.e., presence of calcium, iron, copper), while the effect of their textural properties mainly influences the adsorption of siloxane compounds, such as D4. A quantitative analysis was performed considering the influence of gas velocity on adsorption capacity. By increasing the biogas velocity (+45% and +89%), there was an indirect correlation with the H₂S adsorption capacity (-27% and -44%). This identified an aspect related to the residence time required to be able to remove and retain the trace compound. The results obtained and summarized were used to develop a strategy for the removal of trace compounds in large-scale plants, e.g., for water purification.

Efficient Removal of Siloxane from Biogas by Using β-Cyclodextrin-Modified Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogels

In this study, β-cyclodextrin-modified reduced graphene oxide aerogels (β-CD-rGOAs) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method and were used to remove hexamethyldisiloxane (L2) from biogas. The β-CD-rGOAs were characterized by the Brunner–Emmet–Teller technique, using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, and X-ray diffraction. The results of the characterizations indicate that β-CD was grafted onto the surface of rGOAs as a cross-linking modifier. The β-CD-rGOA had a three-dimensional, cross-linked porous structure. The maximum breakthrough adsorption capacity of L2 on β-CD-rGOA at 273 K was 111.8 mg g⁻¹. A low inlet concentration and bed temperature facilitated the adsorption of L2. Moreover, the β-CD-rGOA was regenerated by annealing at 80 °C, which renders this a promising material for removing L2 from biogas.

Biochar and hydrochar in the context of anaerobic digestion for a circular approach: An overview

Biochar and hydrochar are carbonaceous materials with valuable applications. They can be synthesized from a wide range of organic wastes, including digestate. Digestate is the byproduct of anaerobic digestion (AD), which is performed for bioenergy (biogas) production from organic residues. Through a thermochemical process, such as pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization - HTC, digestate can be converted into biochar or hydrochar. The addition of either biochar or hydrochar in AD has been reported to improve biochemical reactions and microbial growth, increasing the buffer capacity, and facilitating direct interspecies electrons transfer (DIET), resulting in higher methane (CH₄) yields. Both biochar and hydrochar can adsorb undesired compounds present in biogas, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), ammonia (NH₃), and even siloxanes. However, an integrated understanding of biochar and hydrochar produced from digestate through their return to the AD process, as additives or as adsorbents for biogas purification, is yet to be attained to close the material flow loop in a circular economy model. Therefore, this overview aimed at addressing the integration of biochar and hydrochar production from digestate, their utilization as additives and effects on AD, and their potential to adsorb biogas contaminants. This integration is supported by life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, showing positive results when combining AD and the aforementioned thermochemical processes, although more LCA is still necessary. Techno-economic assessment (TEA) studies of the processes considered are also presented, and despite an expanding market of biochar and hydrochar, further TEA is required to verify the profitability of the proposed integration, given the specificities of each process design. Overall, the synthesis of biochar and hydrochar from digestate can contribute to improving the AD process, establishing a cyclic process that is in agreement with the circular economy concept.

Vitamin C-Assisted Fabrication of Aerogels from Industrial Graphene Oxide for Gaseous Hexamethyldisiloxane Adsorption

Volatile methyl siloxanes (VMSs) as a trace impurity in biogas decreases its energy utilization, and thus need to be removed. In this paper, a one-step hydrothermal reduction was performed to produce three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide aerogels (rGOAs) using industrial-grade graphene oxide (IGGO) as raw material and vitamin C (VC) as a reductant to facilitate the fabrication of rGOAs. The synthesis of rGOAs was a simple, green, and energy-efficient process. The developed rGOAs were characterized using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, Raman spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements and contact angle. The results obtained showed that rGOA-1 with a VC/IGGO ratio of 1/1 (m/m) exhibited a hierarchical porous structure and super-hydrophobicity, yielding a high specific surface area (137.9 m2 g−1) and superior water contact angle (143.8°). The breakthrough adsorption capacity of rGOA-1 for hexamethyldisiloxane (L2, a VMS model) was 11 times higher than that of IGGO. Low inlet concentration and bed temperature were considered beneficial for the L2 adsorption. Interestingly, rGOA-1 was less sensitive to water, and it was readily regenerated for reuse by annealing at 80 °C. The rGOAs have been demonstrated to have great potential for the removal of siloxanes from biogas.

Unraveling the adsorption and diffusion properties of hexamethyldisiloxane on zeolites by static gravimetric analysis

Utilization of biogas from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as a kind of renewable energy can effectively alleviate the escalating energy crisis. However, volatile methylsiloxanes (VMS) exist in biogas as impurities and hinder its efficient use. Adsorption is the main technology to achieve high-efficiency purification of VMS currently, yet studies on the adsorption processes and mechanisms are quite insufficient. Here, we use the static vapor adsorption method to investigate the adsorption performances and mechanisms of four typical zeolite adsorbents (Hbeta, SBA-15, MOR and MCM-41) towards hexamethyldisiloxane (L2), which is a representative of VMS. Results suggest the adsorption interaction of L2 and zeolite is closely related to the pore size of zeolite and follows the order of Hbeta > MCM-41 > SBA-15 > MOR. The adsorption rate constants of L2 on MCM-41 are larger than the others in the most relative pressure ranges. Besides, cyclic adsorption/desorption performances of L2 on MCM-41, SBA-15 and Hbeta show their super recycling properties. These studies would provide important information on designing an effective zeolite-L2 adsorption system, and are helpful to understand the deeper adsorption mechanisms of VMS on zeolites.

Study of H2S Removal Capability from Simulated Biogas by Using Waste-Derived Adsorbent Materials

Three waste-derived adsorbent materials (wood-derived biochar, sludge-derived activated carbon and activated ash) were pre-activated at the laboratory scale to apply them for the removal of H2S from a biogas stream. The H2S removal capabilities of each material were measured by a mass spectrometer, to detect the H2S concentration after the adsorption in an ambient environment. The activated ash adsorbent has the highest removal capacity at 3.22 mgH2S g−1, while wood-derived biochar has slightly lower H2S removal capability (2.2 mgH2S g−1). The physicochemical properties of pristine and spent materials were characterized by the thermogravimetric analyzer, elemental analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and N2 adsorption and desorption. Wood-derived biochar is a highly porous material that adsorbs H2S by physical adsorption of the mesoporous structure. Activated ash is a non-porous material which adsorbs H2S by the reaction between the alkaline compositions and H2S. This study shows the great potential to apply waste-derived adsorbent materials to purify a biogas stream by removing H2S.

Adsorption and Separation of the H2O/H2SO4 and H2O/C2H5OH Mixtures: A Simulated and Experimental Study

Adsorption processes are characterized by their kinetics and equilibrium isotherms described by mathematical models. Nowadays, adsorption with molecular sieves is a method used to separate certain elements or molecules from a mixture and produce hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, ethanol, or water treatment. This study had two main objectives. The first one was focused on the use of different natural (Clinoptilolite-S.L. Potosi, Clinoptilolite-Puebla, and Heulandite-Sonora) and synthetic (Zeolite Type 3A) adsorbents to separate the mixtures H 2 O / H 2 S O 4 and H 2 O / C 2 H 5 O H . It was determined that both Zeolite Type-3A and Heulandite-Sonora have greater adsorption capacity in a shorter time compared with the Clinoptilolites at different temperatures. The second objective was the simulation of a pressure swing adsorption process to dehydrate ethanol using the parameters obtained from Zeolite Type 3A (with maximum adsorption capacity). Several configurations were considered to calculate the appropriate nominal values for the optimal process. The results illustrate that the purity of ethanol is increased when the following parameters are considered in the adsorption process: a high pressure, a constant temperature between 100 and 120 ° C, a feed composition near the azeotropic point with lower water content, and a purge pressure near the vacuum. Finally, the results show that it is possible to take advantage of the length of the absorber bed in order to reduce the energy costs by increasing the ethanol production as well as complying with the international purity standards.

H2S Removal with Sorbent Obtained from Sewage Sludges

Biochar obtained from sewage sludges are adopted for biogas cleaning. Sewage sludges are treated considering temperature, dwell time, activating agent, heating, and flow rate. The best performances achieved are registered considering the char produced at 400 °C using CO2 as an activating agent with a dwell time of 2 h. The adsorption capacity for the biogas cleaning CH4/CO2/H2S (20 ppm(v)) increased from 1.3 mg/g to 5.9 mg/g with the bed height. Future research with chemical activation processes will be made to improve the adsorption capacity achieved to produce cheaper sorbents than commercial ones.