• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.168-180
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• 2023

H₂ generation from renewable sources is crucial for ensuring sustainable production of energy. One approach to achieve this goal is biohydrogen production by utilizing renewable resources such as biomass and microorganisms. In contrast to commercial methods, biohydrogen production needs ambient temperature and pressure, thereby requiring less energy and cost. Biohydrogen production can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly the emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, it is also associated with significant challenges, including low hydrogen yields, hydrodynamic issues in bioreactors, and the need for H₂ separation and purification methods to obtain high-purity H₂. Various technologies have been developed for hydrogen separation and purification, including cryogenic distillation, pressure-swing adsorption, absorption, and membrane technology. This review addresses important experimental developments in dense polymeric membranes for biohydrogen purification.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.136-143
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• 2013

In this study, both transient behaviors of a biofilter system with improved design and a conventional biofilter were observed to perform the treatment of waste air containing malodor and volatile organic compound (VOC). Their behaviors of removal efficiency and treated concentration of malodor and VOC were compared each other. During 1st~7th stages of improved biofilter system operation it was observed that the order of treated ethanol concentration at each sampling port was switched due to the difference of microbe-population-distribution in spite of the difference of biofilter effective height. However, at 8th stage of its operation, the order of treated ethanol concentration at each sampling port was consistent to the order of biofilter effective height at each sampling port. The same was applied to the case of hydrogen sulfide, even though the difference of switched treated-hydrogen sulfide-concentrations was less than that of switched treated-ethanol-concentrations. The ethanol-removal efficiency of the biofilter system with improved design was ca. 96%, which was greater by 2% than that of the conventional biofilter. The transient behavior of treated hydrogen sulfide concentration of both biofilters were similar to each other. However, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide treated by the biofilter system with improved design was observed lower than that by the conventional biofilter. The hydrogen sulfide-removal efficiency of the biofilter system with improved design was higher by ca. 2% than that of the conventional biofilter. Therefore, the hydrogen sulfide-removal efficiency of the biofilter system with improved design was observed to be enhanced by the same as its ethanol-removal efficiency.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.568-574
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• 2013

A semi-pilot biofilter packed with media with immobilized Thiobacillus sp. IW and return sludge, was operated under various operating conditions in order to treat malodorous waste air containing both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia which are major air pollutants emitted from composting factories and many publicly owned treatment works (POTW). At the incipient and middle stages of a semi-pilot biofilter operation, the hydrogen sulfide-removal efficiency behaves regardless of an inlet-load of ammonia. However, the ammonia-removal efficiency decreased as an inlet-load of hydrogen sulfide increased. Nevertheless, at the final stage of the semi-pilot biofilter operation, the ammonia-removal efficiency was not affected by the increase of hydrogen sulfide-inlet load. It is attributed to that a serious acidification of semi-pilot biofilter-media did not occur due to continuous injection of buffer solution at the final stage of the semi-pilot biofilter operation. When both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia contained in malodorous waste air were treated simultaneously by semi-pilot biofilter, the maximum elimination capacities of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia turned out to be ca. 58 and $30g/m^3/h$, respectively. These maximum elimination capacities were estimated to be ca. 39 and 46% less than those for lab-scaled biofilter-separate elimination of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, respectively. Thus, for the simultaneous biofilter-treatment of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, the maximum elimination capacity of ammonia decreased by 7% more than that of hydrogen sulfide.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.13-29
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• 2016

In this study, we analyzed the causes of major faults in the biogas plant through the case of gas engine failure when cogenerating electricity and heat using biogas as a fuel in the actual sewage treatment plant and suggested countermeasures. Hydrogen sulfide in the biogas entering the biogas engine and water caused by intermittent malfunction of the water removal system caused intercooler corrosion in the biogas engine. In addition, the siloxane in the biogas forms a silicate compound with silicon dioxide, which causes scratches and wear of the piston surface and the inner wall of the cylinder liner. The substances attached to the combustion chamber and the exhaust system were analyzed to be combined with hydrogen sulfide and other impurities. It is believed that hydrogen sulfide was supplied to the desulfurization plant for a long period of time because of the high content of hydrogen sulfide (more than 50ppm) in the biogas and the hydrogen sulfide was introduced into the engine due to the decrease of the removal efficiency due to the breakthrough point of the activated carbon in the desulfurization plant. In addition, the hydrogen sulfide degrades the function of the activated carbon for siloxane removal of the adsorption column, which is considered to be caused by the introduction of unremoved siloxane waste into the engine, resulting in various types of engine failure. Therefore, hydrogen sulfide, siloxane, and water can be regarded as the main causes of the failure of the biogas engine. Among them, hydrogen sulfide reacts with other materials causing failure and can be regarded as a substance having a great influence on the pretreatment process. As a result, optimization of $H_2S$ removal method seems to be an essential measure for stable operation of the biogas engine.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2024

This study presents a novel approach to hydrogen production by biogas from organic waste without CO₂ removal. A process model was developed to reduce the costs associated with biogas pretreatment and purification processes. Through optimization of heat exchange networks, the simulation aimed to minimize process costs, maximizing hydrogen production and flue gas temperature. The results reveal that the most efficient process model maximizes the flue gas temperature while following the constraint of the number of heat exchangers. These findings hold promise for contributing to the expansion of "Biogas-to-clean hydrogen" energy conversion technology.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2020

Hydrogen production from biogas has received consistent attention due to the great potential to solve simultaneously the issues of energy demands and environmental problems. Practically, biomethane produced by purification/upgrading of biogas can be a good alternative to the natural gas which is a main reactant for a steam methane reforming process. Judging from the economic and environmental impacts, however, the steam biogas and dry reforming are considered to be more effective routes for hydrogen production because both processes do not require the carbon dioxide elimination step. Herein, we highlight recent studies of hydrogen production via reforming processes using biogas and effective applications for earlier commercialization.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2021

In this paper, we carried out the process modelling and economical analysis of the 500 kg-H₂/d-class green hydrogen production system process based on biomethane from the Food Bio Energy Center in Chungju. As a result of economic analysis, the NPV(Net present value) after 15 years of operation is 3.831 billion won, the PI(Profitability index method) is 1.42. It was found that the project of 500 kg-H₂/d-class green hydrogen production system has a 20.25% of IRR, which is higher than social discount rate of 4.5% and feasibility is ensured.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.98-108
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• 2006

본 연구에서는 이 단계 연속 바이오 수소/메탄 생산공정의 경제성을 조사하였다. 경제적 관점에서 다양한 수소 및 메탄 발효용 생물반응기를 비교 평가하였다. 이를 바탕으로 포도당으로부터 일 단계 수소발효를 위해 고온 trickling biofilter 반응기 (TBR, $100\;m^3$ 규모)를, 일 단계 반응의 부산물로 생성된 유기산과 알콜류의 이 단계 메탄전환을 위해 고온 upflow anaerobic sludge 반응기 (UASB; $700\;m^3$ 규모)를 선정하였다. 본 이 단계 공정의 수소생산 비용은 $$\;0.26/Nm^3$으로 계산되었고, 이는 고온 TBR 반응기만을 이용한 경우보다 약 30 % 낮았다. 이 단계 공정의 낮은 수소생산 비용은 높은 에너지 회수율과 낮은 슬러지 처리비용에 의한 것이었다. 생물학적 수소 생산공정의 경제성은 탄소원의 종류, 생물반응기의 형태 등 여러 인자에 의해 변경될 수 있으나, 본 연구결과는 향후 연구를 위한 유용한 기준으로 고려될 수 있다.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.240-246
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• 2014

A semi-pilot biofilter inoculated with the microbes consortium of Bacillus cereus DAH-1056 and Arthrobacter sp. KDE-0311 was operated under various operating conditions in order to treat malodorous waste air containing both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. When both hydrogen sulfide and ammonia contained in malodorous waste air were treated simultaneously by semi-pilot biofilter inoculated with Thiobacillus sp. IW and return-sludge, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were ca. 80% and ca. 50%, respectively. On the other hand, in this study, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were ca. 90% and ca. 60%, respectively. Therefore, the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were enhanced by ca. 13% and 20%, respectively, compared to the semipilot biofilter inoculated with Thiobacillus sp. IW and return-sludge. In addition, in this study, the maximum elimination capacities of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were enhanced by ca. 15% ($8g/m^3/h$) and 10~17% ($3{\sim}5g/m^3/h$), respectively. In this study, it was observed either that in case of even a same inlet load of hydrogen sulfide, a higher concentration of hydrogen sulfide causes more difficulties in treating ammonia containing in waste air than a lower one, or that in case of even a same inlet load of ammonia, a lower concentration of ammonia results in higher removal efficienciy and elimination capacity than a higher one. Even though hydrogen sulfide and ammonia were treated simultaneously by a biofilter in this study, the maximum elimination capacity of hydrogen sulfide in this study exceeded or was similar to that in previous study of biofilter treating only hydrogen sulfide. In addition, this study showed the higher maximum elimination capacity of ammonia than other previous investigation of biofilter treating hydrogen sulfide and ammonia simultaneously.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.688-696
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• 2011

Hydrogen is one of the few long-term sustainable clean energy carriers, emitting only water as by-products during its combustion or oxidation. The use of fossil fuels to produce hydrogen makes large amount of carbon dioxide (>7 kg $CO_{2}$/kg $H_{2}$) during the reforming processes. Hydrogen production can be environmentally benign only if the energy and the resource to make hydrogen is sustainable and renewable. Biomass is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for carbon dioxide because of the hydrogen can be produced by conversion of the biomass and the carbon dioxide formed during hydrogen production is consumed by biomass generation process. Hydrogen production using solar energy also attracts great attention because of the potential to use abundance natural energy and water.