Water Scrubbing of Carbon Dioxide for Improving Calorific Values of Biogass

수세정에 의한 바이오가스 중 이산화탄소의 제거 효율

Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion processes has about 60% of methane and about 40% of carbon dioxide. Raw biogas can be used in internal combustion engines either spark ignition or diesel engines. Since the gas has relatively low calorific values, engine power also is lower than rated power values. Modified engines or biogas-specific engines have been utilized in order to increase efficiency. Another option is gas cleansing for increasing its calorific values. A couple of European countries adopted this approach in using biogas for one of transportation fuels, such as $CO_2$ scrubbing with water or special solutions. This study reports the results of water scrubbing for reducing $CO_2$ concentration. In 2.5m-high PVC pipe accepting water, $CO_2$ reduction rates were investigated. When flow rate of $CO_2$ and air mixture was about 5 LPM, $CO_2$ concentration was decreased up to 70%. Higher calorific biogas through water scrubbing is expected to be applied to various commercial engines without costly modification.