Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Single-Stage Process for Biogas Purification
EPA Grant Number: SV840418Title: Single-Stage Process for Biogas Purification
Investigators: Lashaki, Masoud Jahandar , Meeroff, Daniel , Hosseini, Amirjavad , Nutter, Brandyn , Rojas, Laura , Smith, Jalyn , Cowart, Jason , Mugan, Sierra
Institution: Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: II
Project Period: November 1, 2022 through May 9, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2023 through October 31,2024
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: 17th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2022) Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards
Objective:
Landfill gas is a natural by-product of the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste in landfills. Similarly, biogas may be produced in farming communities or commercial facilities by anaerobic digestion of agricultural and municipal organic waste or dedicated crops. Biogas and landfill gas have similar compositions and primarily consist of 50%+ methane and 30%+ carbon dioxide in addition to ubiquitous species such as water vapor and hydrogen sulfide. If not properly managed, the decomposition of organic waste on farms and in municipal landfills generates uncontrolled emissions of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide, the last two being potent greenhouse gases. In addition to hydrogen sulfide being a well-known air pollutant with adverse human health impacts, it causes severe odor issues in the communities adjacent to landfills and farms. To minimize such adverse environmental and societal impacts, biogas and landfill gas can be collected and purified to produce biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas, which can be injected into natural gas pipelines as a carbon-neutral fuel. In “Phase I”, a cyclic adsorption-desorption process was proposed to integrate and intensify the upgrading process. The overarching objective of “Phase I” was to develop made-to-order adsorbent materials that fulfill the cost, performance, and stability requirements of this process. The “Phase II” project pursues further improvements in the adsorption performance and long-term stability of the final aminosilica candidate. The “Phase II” project consists of the following activities: (i) improving the oxidation stability of aminosilica (Task 1), (ii) studying the removal of other biogas and landfill gas impurities such as siloxanes (Task 2), and (iii) assessing the long-term stability of aminosilica during cycling (Task 3).
Progress Summary:
In “Phase I”, over 100 aminosilicas with different properties were prepared via manipulation of synthesis conditions. All aminosilicas were analyzed in terms of amine content and adsorption capacity based on which 16 aminosilicas were selected for further analysis in terms of adsorption kinetics. Three performant aminosilicas with the fastest adsorption kinetics were selected for further evaluation in terms of thermal and oxidation stability throughout 100 successive adsorptiondesorption experiments, based on which one aminosilica with the best overall performance was chosen as the final candidate. This material was assessed through column-breakthrough experiments, achieving effective and simultaneous removal of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and hydrogen sulfide. Starting November 1st, 2022, “Phase II” project activities started. As of October 31st, 2023, Task 1 of the project has been completed, which aligns with the proposed timeline. Task 2 project activities are currently in progress. A detailed description of the completed and upcoming activities and the associated methods and findings are included in the Annual Progress Report.
Future Activities:
The objective of this research is to purify biogas and landfill gas in one single step using FAU’s made-to-order amine-functionalized silica materials. The “Phase I” results indicated that the custom materials could achieve high adsorption capacities, fast adsorption kinetics, high thermal and oxidative stability, and effective and concurrent removal of all target impurities in the presence of different synthetic gas streams simulating biogas and landfill gas. The “Phase II” project builds on the foundation laid in “Phase I” to further improve the oxidative stability of the materials by manipulating the elemental composition of the support material while assessing the possibility of separating other common impurities from biogas and landfill gas. The results so far have shown a mix of improvement and deterioration in the oxidative stability of the materials when adding or removing different elements from the support material.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 4 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Lam D, Lashaki MJ. Amine-tethered mesoporous silica for integrated landfill gas purification. Biomass and Bioenergy 2025;194:107612. |
SV840418 (2024) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
Green chemistry, treatment and emission control technologies, waste to energy, clean technologies, sustainable development, global climate, Florida, Atlantic coast, EPA Region 4Relevant Websites:
Air Emissions Characterization and Control Lab - FAU Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase I:
Single-Stage Process for Biogas Purification | 2021 Progress Report | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.