Progress 07/01/24 to 02/28/25

Outputs
Target Audience: Biogas producers: The technology primarily targets rural areas, especially farming and poultry communities. Adopting this technology could boost their economies by converting bio-waste into value-added chemicals and biofuels. Renewable natural gas (RNG) and biogas producers--such as waste management companies and landfills--across the U.S. can utilize our modular process units to generate syngas, methanol, and ethanol. The global biogas market is experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing demand for renewable energy and its various applications, including heat, electricity, and transportation. The market size is estimated at USD 133.61 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 191.19 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 4.46%. This indicates strong potential for continued growth, fueled by rising demand for renewable energy, government support, and ongoing technological advancements. The market is projected to expand across various sectors and regions, contributing to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. One of the main target audiences for our technology is biogas producers and companies involved in the biogas industry e.g., Sapphire Energy (California), Larson Dairy Inc. (Florida), Hometown BioEnergy (Minnesota), Dominion Energy (Virginia), Chevron, DVO, Inc., Waste Management, Inc. (Texas), Smithfield Foods, Inc. (Virginia), and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). Green Methanol producers: The biogas-to-liquid fuels technology focused on green methanol producers from biogas. The production of fuels from greenhouses (CO2 and CH4) reduces CO2 emissions and global warming. The global methanol (liquid fuel) market is projected to reach approximately USD 65.2 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 5-6% over the next decade. In North America, the methanol market size is estimated to be 10.89 million tons in 2024, and in 2033, it is estimated to be 19.42 million tons. So, Liquid Fuels (methanol) play a crucial role across industries, serving as a low-carbon fuel in shipping, transport, and aviation, a key feedstock in chemical manufacturing, and an efficient energy carrier for fuel cells and hydrogen transport. It also enhances energy security, supports renewable energy integration by storing surplus electricity, fosters job creation, and R&D in advanced catalysis/process engineering. In the past, the U.S. market has relied heavily on imported methanol, with as much as 90 percent of its supply coming from other countries. From 2016, U.S. methanol production capacity more than doubled and is expected to grow further in the coming years. The U.S. is going to take in a lot less methanol and start exporting, as reported by Chemistry World. Green methanol (also known as renewable methanol or e-methanol when produced from biogas) is gaining attraction as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based fuels and chemicals. Here are the main commercial applications of green methanol: Methanol is being blended in gasoline or methanol fuel cells for vehicles. Converted into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through pathways like Methanol-to-Jet (MTJ). Olefins via Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO). Efficient, storable, and transportable energy carrier. (5) Various companies are involved in methanol production technologies from CO2, biogas, and syngas. These producers can be targeted as customers for ADEM's technology. The major methanol companies included Haldor Topse, Ultra Clean Ecolene Inc. Ontario, Watergem Limited UK, Clear Refining Technologies LLC, California, Johnsen Matthey, Air products and Chemicals, MI. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The biogas to liquid fuels using plasma process is an emerging and advanced area within renewable energy and chemical engineering. It offers several training and professional development opportunities, particularly for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals. Here's a breakdown of what this field typically provides in terms of professional growth. Technical Training and Professional Opportunities: Plasma Technology Expertise Hands-on training in atmospheric microwave and dielectric barrier discharge plasma systems and high-voltage electrical engineering for the graduate students. Understanding plasma chemistry and its applications in gas reforming and fuel synthesis. Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Training on catalysts used in plasma-assisted reaction Training on the integration of fluidized bed catalysts with plasma inside a single reactor Learning how to optimize reaction conditions for syngas production and methanol and ethanol How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The conversion of biogas to liquid fuels using ADEM Technologies (MW plasma fluidized bed reactor) has been disseminated to a variety of communities. Collaboration with Farmers or Waste Managers The pilot-scale project involves local biogas producers, demonstrating the added value of converting biogas into transportable liquid fuels. These biogas producers purchase their raw materials directly from farmers/waste management departments. In this way, the technology will benefit the state's rural area farmers directly by utilizing biogas supplied by local producers. Demonstration Projects & Pilot Plants Pilot-scale implementations, sometimes supported by public-private partnerships, serve as real-world showcases of the technology. These are often accompanied by open days or site tours for investors and community stakeholders. ADEM Technologies Inc. has engaged in discussions with local biogas producers like The Food Animal Environmental Research Unit (FAESRU), USDA, Kentucky facility and green methanol/ethanol producers in the USA, such as Emvolon and M2X Energy, to further scale up by testing the modular scale unit at their site. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Study the biogas reforming to syngas using Ni-TiO2 catalyst under thermal process, atmospheric pressure. Syngas to methanol using Cu-ZnO alloyed catalyst under microwave plasma reactor at atmospheric pressure. Study single step biogas to liquid fuels (methanol/ethanol) using microwave plasma reactor at atmospheric pressure. Optimize the reaction parameters such as plasma power, biogas throughput, and catalyst Design and develop an optimized condenser that will not affect the plasma and have better yield of fuels to collect liquid fuels. Perform the Techno-economic and life cycle analysis for the proposed technology. Scale up the process for better economics and plan for commercial-scale prodcution at biogas plants. Customer discovery for methnaol/ethanol prodcution from biogas or green house gases.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Phase I accomplishments during reported period: Highlights of the project during this period are described below: During the Phase I project, ADEM has developed and demonstrated thermo-catalytic processes for biogas cleanup and reforming to syngas and followed by a plasma catalytic approach for syngas to methanol at a throughput of ~8 lpm/kW. Highlights of the project are described below: Biogas cleanup using ADEM Technology: ADEM has successfully demonstrated the removal of impurities in biogas such as H2S, NH3 and siloxanes including moisture using its own patented and commercialized AdE-Sulfur 200 catalyst. Sulfur is reduced down from 2000 ppm to <1 ppb, and the breakthrough capacity of the adsorbent is 24 % and the saturation capacity can be >34% by wt. The adsorbent is regenerated again by supplying air and recycled up to 10 cycles without appreciable loss of activity and more than 20 cycles with some loss in breakthrough capacity. Biogas upgradation to syngas via reforming: Designed and developed reforming catalysts using nanowires. For this purpose, 8 wt% Ni alloyed onto TiO2 NWs were prepared using Ni(NO3)2 .4H2O solution mixed with TiO2 NWs. The mixture was then oven dried and followed by vacuum annealing at 550 °C for 2 h. Biogas reforming to syngas has been successfully conducted as proposed in Phase I, with H2/CO of 1 using Ni-TiO2 alloyed catalyst. Simulated biogas has been reformed to syngas using two methods: (i) Plasma catalytic reforming and (ii) Thermo catalytic reforming using Ni-TiO2 alloyed nanowire catalyst coated on monolith structure supports. Plasma catalytic biogas reforming confirms that the conversion of CH4 and CO2 > 90% and > 70 %, respectively, with H2/CO in the range of 0.5-0.7, depending on the CH4/CO2. However, this process suffers from coke deposition on the reactor surface and may disturb the continuous syngas generation system. However, such a problem can be avoided by adding steam during the process, which also helps with a higher H2 to CO ratio in the resulting syngas. Thermo-catalytic reforming has successfully demonstrated the syngas formation using Ni-TiO2 alloyed catalysts with excellent activity (~98-99%) and stability (coke resistance-no deactivation for 15-20 days continuous reaction) towards CH4/CO2 conversions. Additionally, it is confirmed that thermal process can be easily scaled-up for high throughput/GHSV reactions by depositing the catalyst on the monolith carriers (no pressure drop observed for high GHSV values with monolith structured materials). Therefore, ADEM chose the thermocatalytic process to produce syngas from biogas as part of our technology. Biogas to liquid fuels (methanol and ethanol) Designed and developed the Cu-Zn alloyed nanowire catalysts for syngas to methanol conversion. Cu-ZnO NWs catalysts have been made at 700 to 1000 g scale in extrudate form with 2 mm in diameter with varying Cu content (10-30 wt%). The Cu-ZnO alloy catalysts were synthesized using ZnO nanowires (NWs) and copper acetate solution as precursors. The slurry mixture was dried in oven first followed by vacuum annealing at 500 °C for 3 h. The calcined powder was then extruded to cylindrical shape of size (dia - 2mm) by adding binder and then dried using an oven. Designed a unique plasma catalytic reactor for methanol synthesis. The reactor design played a major role in the methanol formation. The design consists of a larger chamber above plasma flame to enable proper fluidization of catalyst particles. Major change is that hydrogen is introduced into the large chamber in an upward fashion, which enables the separation of hydrogen interaction with the plasma flame to minimize water formation and improve methanol yield.

Publications

Progress 07/01/24 to 02/28/25

Outputs
Target Audience:ADEM's technology uses a unique plasma catalytic process for converting biogas to liquid fuels (methanol and ethanol) at atmospheric pressure. There are several categories of potential customers and beneficiaries for this technology: Biogas producers: The technology primarily targets rural areas, especially farming and poultry communities. Adopting this technology could boost their economies by converting bio-waste into value-added chemicals and biofuels. Renewable natural gas (RNG) and biogas producers--such as waste management companies and landfills--across the U.S. can utilize our modular process units to generate syngas, methanol, and ethanol. The global biogas market is experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing demand for renewable energy and its various applications, including heat, electricity, and transportation. The market size is estimated at USD 133.61 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 191.19 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 4.46%. This indicates strong potential for continued growth, fueled by rising demand for renewable energy, government support, and ongoing technological advancements. The market is projected to expand across various sectors and regions, contributing to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. One of the main target audiences for our technology is biogas producers and companies involved in the biogas industry e.g., Sapphire Energy (California), Larson Dairy Inc. (Florida), Hometown BioEnergy (Minnesota), Dominion Energy (Virginia), Chevron, DVO, Inc., Waste Management, Inc. (Texas), Smithfield Foods, Inc. (Virginia), and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas). Green Methanol producers: The biogas-to-liquid fuels technology focused on green methanol producers from biogas. The production of fuels from greenhouses (CO2 and CH4) reduces CO2 emissions and global warming. The global methanol (liquid fuel) market is projected to reach approximately USD 65.2 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 5-6% over the next decade. In North America, the methanol market size is estimated to be 10.89 million tons in 2024, and in 2033, it is estimated to be 19.42 million tons. So, Liquid Fuels (methanol) play a crucial role across industries, serving as a low-carbon fuel in shipping, transport, and aviation, a key feedstock in chemical manufacturing, and an efficient energy carrier for fuel cells and hydrogen transport. It also enhances energy security, supports renewable energy integration by storing surplus electricity, fosters job creation, and R&D in advanced catalysis/process engineering. In the past, the U.S. market has relied heavily on imported methanol, with as much as 90 percent of its supply coming from other countries. From 2016, U.S. methanol production capacity more than doubled and is expected to grow further in the coming years. The U.S. is going to take in a lot less methanol and start exporting, as reported by Chemistry World. Green methanol (also known as renewable methanol or e-methanol when produced from biogas) is gaining attraction as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based fuels and chemicals. Here are the main commercial applications of green methanol: Methanol is being blended in gasoline or methanol fuel cells for vehicles. Converted into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through pathways like Methanol-to-Jet (MTJ). Olefins via Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO). Efficient, storable, and transportable energy carrier. (5) Various companies are involved in methanol production technologies from CO2, biogas, and syngas. These producers can be targeted as customers for ADEM's technology. The major methanol companies included Haldor Topse, Ultra Clean Ecolene Inc. Ontario, Watergem Limited UK, Clear Refining Technologies LLC, California, Johnsen Matthey, Air products and Chemicals, MI. Green Ethanol producers: Another important targeted area is green ethanol. Ethanol produced from biogas appeals to a range of potential customers across industries that are focused on sustainability, carbon reduction, and renewable fuels. Here are the key categories of potential customers: Transportation Fuel Distributors & Blenders Oil companies and fuel blenders looking to meet renewable fuel standards (e.g., under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard or EU RED II). Biofuel stations and alternative fuel providers who market to eco-conscious drivers. Industrial Chemical Companies Use ethanol as a feedstock or solvent (e.g., for paints, coatings, plastics, and pharmaceuticals). Value low-carbon alternatives to reduce their Scope 3 emissions. Beverage and Spirits Manufacturers Especially premium or eco-conscious brands seeking sustainable sources for neutral spirits. Cosmetics and Personal Care Brands Use ethanol in perfumes, lotions, and cleaning agents. Increasing demand for bio-based, low-carbon, or organic-certified ingredients. Green Aviation Fuel Producers (SAF Blenders) Ethanol can be a precursor in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel via Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technologies. Ethanol is produced from fermentation of sugars in presence of bacteria. This process has disadvantages of CO2 emission, expensive distillation and high energy consumption. Recently, various research reports discussed ethanol formation from CO2 and CH4, however, still no commercial process is available on this technology. ADEM's technology will introduce this innovative approach to produce ethanol from biogas and attract the ethanol producers to utilize ADEM's economic technology with low energy consumption and no CO2 emissions. Biogas cleaning, and methanol/ethanol catalyst companies: Another important target is catalyst companies. The biogas to biofuel conversion technology purely depends on the specific type of catalyst. The biogas cleanup, reforming, and syngas to methanol/ethanol are three major steps in this technology. Each step has its challenges, but it can be overcome by adopting a suitable catalyst. ADEM has developed nanowire-based catalysts for the entire process. This project targets biogas purification plants and methanol and ethanol catalyst producers (such as Clariant and others that can find use for our single-atom catalyst materials not only for this reaction but for other reactions as well. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The biogas to liquid fuels using plasma process is an emerging and advanced area within renewable energy and chemical engineering. It offers several training and professional development opportunities, particularly for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals. Here's a breakdown of what this field typically provides in terms of professional growth. Technical Training and Professional Opportunities: Plasma Technology Expertise Hands-on training in atmospheric microwave and dielectric barrier discharge plasma systems and high-voltage electrical engineering for the graduate students. Understanding plasma chemistry and its applications in gas reforming and fuel synthesis. 2.Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Training on catalysts used in plasma-assisted reaction Training on the integration of fluidized bed catalysts with plasma inside a single reactor Learning how to optimize reaction conditions for syngas production and methanol andethanol 3. Process Modeling and Simulation The Technology provide hand-on training on various technical software tools used in the work like Aspen Plus, COMSOL Multiphysics, or ANSYS Fluent for modeling plasma reactors and liquid fuel production systems. Training on performing LCA and TEA analysis of a technology using simulation tools. 4. Analytical Techniques The technology needed gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy to analyze products and intermediates and helped to learned the graduate students. Learning of characterization techniques used for catalyst analysis like SEM, XRD, TEM etc. 5. Designing to plasma integrated fluidized bed reactors Learning the basics of designing a plasma catalytic reactor for any technical application. 6. Grant Writing & Research Funding Experience in writing proposals for research funding (e.g. DOE, USDA or NSF). 7. Green Energy & Circular Economy Sectors Career paths in renewable fuels, waste-to-energy, and Biogas digesters. Professional development in aligning projects with ESG and sustainability goals. 8.Innovation & Technology Commercialization Opportunities to work in startups or R&D divisions on scaling up plasma-assisted technologies. Training in intellectual property (IP), patents, and technology transfer processes. Understanding techno-economics for new process technologies, scalability and life cycle analysis of the process. 9.Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Training Research engineers, scientists, and graduate students are involved in this project. They have received specialized safety training in handling high-energy plasma systems and gaseous fuels. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The conversion of biogas to liquid fuels using ADEM Technologies (MW plasma fluidized bed reactor) has been disseminated to a variety of communities. Collaboration with Farmers or Waste Managers The pilot-scale project involves local biogas producers, demonstrating the added value of converting biogas into transportable liquid fuels. These biogas producers purchase their raw materials directly from farmers/waste management departments. In this way, the technology will benefit the state's rural area farmers directly by utilizing biogas supplied by local producers. 2. Demonstration Projects & Pilot Plants Pilot-scale implementations, sometimes supported by public-private partnerships, serve as real-world showcases of the technology. These are often accompanied by open days or site tours for investors and community stakeholders. ADEM Technologies Inc. has engaged in discussions with local biogas producers like The Food Animal Environmental Research Unit (FAESRU), USDA, Kentucky facility and green methanol/ethanol producers in the USA, such as Emvolon and M2X Energy, to further scale up by testing the modular scale unit at their site. FAESRU agreed to work with ADEM to perform the pilot plant tests on their facility and provide biogas for our R&D experiments. FAESU has two pilot-scale anaerobic digesters that can provide as much as seven cubic meters of biogas per day each. FAESRU also agreed to connect ADEM to rural farm communities for biogas to test their prototype skid unit onsite during Phase II. Emvolon has shown interest in the conversion of biogas to fuels using plasma at atmospheric pressure. In Phase II, ADEM plans to run pilot-scale testing at its site. The successful pilot-scale run will serve as a stepping stone toward commercialization. The results have also generated excitement at M2X Energy, which works on converting biogas to fuels. Biogas cleaning remains a major challenge for their commercial-scale fuel production. M2X is enthusiastic about collaborating with ADEM on biogas cleaning. ADEM will provide its proprietary catalytic process, and testing will be conducted at pilot scale. XEMX, an alternative fuels company based in India, focuses on Compressed Biogas (CBG) generation using agricultural feedstocks such as poultry litter and press mud. XEMX has developed and adopted a commercially viable CBG generation process that emphasizes operational efficiency and reduced risk. XEMX has expressed interest in working with ADEM to commercialize greenhouse gases into liquid fuel technology. ADEM has also engaged in conversations with several catalyst companies regarding reforming catalyst developed in this project. ADEM discussed with UniCat, magna catalysts, Evonik, Clariant and a Korean company regarding potential collaborations toward pilot testing of reforming catalyst for biogas. Patents & Licensing Innovations in this space are often patented and shared through IP databases, opening paths for commercialization and encouraging industry uptake. ADEM is also preparing the patent application based on this technology and unique reactor design for plasma assisted applications. Research Articles/Conferences Two manuscripts are being prepared based on this project work. Graduate students/scientists/engineers are also participating and presenting this work in conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the Phase I project, ADEM has developed and demonstrated thermo-catalytic processes for biogas cleanup and reforming to syngas and followed by plasma catalytic approach for syngas to methanol at a throughput of ~8 lpm/kW. In addition, plasma catalytic approach for direct biogas conversion to ethanol in a single pass. Highlights of the project are described below: Biogas cleanup using ADEM's Technology: ADEM has successfully demonstrated the removal of impurities in biogas such as H2S, NH3 and siloxanes including moisture using its own patented and commercialized AdE-Sulfur 200 catalyst. Sulfur is reduced down to < 1ppb from 2000 ppm, and the breakthrough capacity of the adsorbent is 24 % and saturation capacity can be >34% by wt. The adsorbent is regenerated again by supplying air and recycled up to 10 cycles without appreciable loss of activity and more than 20 cycles with some loss in breakthrough capacity. Biogas upgradation to syngas via reforming: Designed and developed reforming catalysts using nanowires. For this purpose, 8 wt% Ni alloyed onto TiO2 NWs were prepared using Ni(NO3)2 .4H2O solution mixed with TiO2 NWs. The mixture was then oven dried and followed by vacuum annealing at 550 °C for 2 h. Biogas reforming to syngas has been successfully conducted as proposed in Phase I, with H2/CO of 1 using Ni-TiO2 alloyed catalyst. Simulated biogas has been reformed to syngas using two methods: (i) Plasma catalytic reforming and (ii) Thermo catalytic reforming using Ni-TiO2 alloyed nanowire catalyst coated on monolith structure supports. Plasma catalytic biogas reforming confirms that the conversion of CH4 and CO2 > 90% and > 70 %, respectively, with H2/CO in the range of 0.5-0.7, depending on the CH4/CO2. However, this process suffers from coke deposition on the reactor surface and may disturb the continuous syngas generation system. However, such a problem can be avoided by adding steam during the process, which also helps with a higher H2 to CO ratio in the resulting syngas. Thermo-catalytic reforming has successfully demonstrated the syngas formation using Ni-TiO2 alloyed catalysts with excellent activity (~98-99%) and stability (coke resistance-no deactivation for 15-20 days continuous reaction) towards CH4/CO2 conversions. Additionally, it is confirmed that thermal process can be easily scaled-up for high throughput/GHSV reactions by depositing the catalyst on the monolith carriers (no pressure drop observed for high GHSV values with monolith structured materials). Therefore, ADEM chose the thermocatalytic process to produce syngas from biogas as part of our technology. Biogas to liquid fuels (methanol and ethanol) Designed and developed the Cu-Zn alloyed nanowire catalysts for syngas to methanol conversion. Several Cu-ZnO NWs catalysts have been made at 700 to 1000 g scale in extrudate form with 2 mm in diameter with varying Cu content (10-30 wt%). The Cu-ZnO alloy catalysts were synthesized using ZnO nanowires (NWs) and copper acetate solution as precursors. The slurry mixture was dried in oven first followed by vacuum annealing at 500 °C for 3 h. The calcined powder was then extruded to cylindrical shape of size (dia - 2mm) by adding binder and then dried using an oven. Designed a unique plasma catalytic reactor for methanol synthesis. The reactor design played a major role in the methanol formation. The design consists of a larger chamber above plasma flame to enable proper fluidization of catalyst particles. Major change is that hydrogen is introduced into the large chamber in an upward fashion, which enables the separation of hydrogen interaction with the plasma flame to minimize water formation and improve methanol yield. .Studies involving a fluidized bed reactor with Cu0.2Zn0.8O nanowire catalyst and hydrogen introduction in the fluidization chamber above the plasma flame allowed for methanol to be immediately in the gas phase. Results to-date show a 30 % conversion of CO2 with a maximum methanol yield of 8.2% at 5.4 LPM of CO2 (or 18 LPM of CO2/kW throughput) at a H2/CO2 ratio of 1. The results show that the yield could be improved further with a higher loading of catalyst in the fluidization chamber. Catalyst loading can be improved further by introducing catalysts directly into the fluidizing chamber. Simulated recycling mixture CO2 (2 LPM), CO (4 LPM), and H2 (4 LPM) process gas produced a higher methanol yield than only CO2 hydrogenation to methanol reaction. The maximum methanol yield is 13 % in a single pass. The condensed liquid had a density (0.95 to 0.98 g/ml). The energy efficiency of the process improved when activated CO species interact with H2 on catalyst surfaces to form methanol while avoiding any interaction of H2 and CO2 in plasma flame. The amount of water produced has reduced drastically. Methanol yield is 13% with syngas (CO + H2) in a single pass over 20wt%. Cu-ZnO with H2/CO ~1 in the gas phase. Condensation of gas-phase methanol: The effect of condenser setup on the methanol yield and H2O formation has been studied. The gas phase sample analysis was performed, and the results showed O2 formation when the condenser setup was not applied. In contrast, the O2 peak disappears with the condenser setup, which could be attributed to the creation of back pressure inside the reactor, ultimately enhancing the interaction between H2 and oxygen atoms to produce more water. Results also showed that one can produce high quality methanol by condensing methanol and by avoiding any interaction between hydrogen and active plasma species especially O2 that produce water. The liquid sample obtained from the condensation of product gas from recycling reaction density is 0.84 g/ml, equal to 87 % methanol in water. ADEM plasma technology has also demonstrated that biogas (CH?/CO? = 0.5) can be directly converted to ethanol and methanol in a single step at atmospheric pressure, with a 10% yield of ethanol and a 3% yield of methanol. Biogas to ethanol in a single step under plasma: ADEM Plasma process produced 10 % yield of ethanol in a single step under plasma at atmospheric pressure. Ethanol formation from biogas under plasma occurs via C-C coupling. The energy requirement for ethanol production is 22 MJ/kg at a scale of 10 LPM biogas throughput. The condenser for methanol and ethanol needs to be optimized to condense methanol from gas phase efficiently and not to exert back pressure. A simplified techno-economic analysis was performed on using plasma catalysis: using biogas to syngas (CO and H2) and syngas to methanol (two steps); biogas using CO2 and CH4 to ethanol (one step). It was found that the cost of methanol production using biogas depends upon the cost of biogas. The cost of methanol production is about $895/ton at 5 cents per kWh rate using the currently achievable targets for 10 lpm/kW throughput and 13% yield. But after adding steam the syngas ratio increased to H2/CO >2 and the estimated methanol cost is $550/ ton. Similarly, the cost of ethanol from biogas $723 per ton of ethanol is almost equal to conventional biomass to ethanol ($701 per ton). The cost models further refined to provide sensitivity analysis based on source of biogas and its conversion for better economics. LCA analysis using GREET software, and NETL (National Energy Technology Laboratory) databases reported that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the fluidized bed microwave plasma reactor is 166 Kg CO2/ton of methanol compared to 2582 Kg CO2/ton of methanol using conventional process. The effect of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the MW plasma fluidized bed reactor for biogas conversion to the methanol/ethanol process is comparatively 90% lower than the conventional process.

Publications