An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of increasing the hydrogen production rate by coupling the water gas shift (WGS) process to the hybrid sulphur process (HyS). This investigation also involved the technical and economical analysis of the water gas shift and the H2 separation by means of Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. A technical analysis of the water gas shift reaction was determined under the operating conditions selected on the basis of some information available in the literature. The high temperature system (HTS) and low temperature system (LTS) reactors were assumed to be operated at temperatures of 350ºC and 200ºC, respectively. The operating pressure for both reactors was assumed to be 30 atmospheres. The H2 production rate of the partial oxidation (POX) and the WGS processes was 242T/D, which is approximately two times the amount produced by the HyS process alone. The PSA was used for the purification process leading to a hydrogen product with a purity of 99.99%. From the total H2 produced by the POX and the WGS processes only 90 percent of H2 is recovered in the PSA. The unrecovered H2 leaves the PSA as a purge gas together with CO2 and traces of CH4, CO, and saturated H2O. The estimated capital cost of the WGS plant with PSA is about US$50 million. The production cost is highly dependent on the cost of all of the required raw materials and utilities involved. The production cost obtained was US $1.41/kg H2 based on the input cost of synthesis gas as produced by the POX process. In this case the production cost of synthesis gas based on US $6/GJ for natural gas and US $0/Ton for oxygen was estimated to be US $0.154/kg. By increasing the oxygen and natural gas cost, the corresponding increase in synthesis gas has resulted in an increase in H2 production cost of US $1.84/kg. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of increasing the hydrogen production rate by coupling the water gas shift (WGS) process to the hybrid sulphur process (HyS). This investigation also involved the technical and economical analysis of the water gas shift and the H2 separation by means of Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. A technical analysis of the water gas shift reaction was determined under the operating conditions selected on the basis of some information available in the literature. The high temperature system (HTS) and low temperature system (LTS) reactors were assumed to be operated at temperatures of 350°C and 200°C, respectively. The operating pressure for both reactors was assumed to be 30 atmospheres. The H2 production rate of the partial oxidation (POX) and the WGS processes was 242T/D, which is approximately two times the amount produced by the HyS process alone. The PSA was used for the purification process leading to a hydrogen product with a purity of 99.99%. From the total H2 produced by the POX and the WGS processes only 90 percent of H2 is recovered in the PSA. The unrecovered H2 leaves the PSA as a purge gas together with C02 and traces of CH4, CO, and saturated H20. The estimated capital cost of the WGS plant with PSA is about US$50 million. The production cost is highly dependent on the cost of all of the required raw materials and utilities involved. The production cost obtained was US $1.41/kg H2 based on the input cost of synthesis gas as produced by the POX process. In this case the production cost of synthesis gas based on US $6/GJ for natural gas and US $0/Ton for oxygen was estimated to be US $0.154/kg. By increasing the oxygen and natural gas cost, the corresponding increase in synthesis gas has resulted in an increase in H2 production cost of US $1.84/kg. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of increasing the hydrogen production rate by coupling the water gas shift (WGS) process to the hybrid sulphur process (HyS). This investigation also involved the technical and economical analysis of the water gas shift and the H2 separation by means of Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process. A technical analysis of the water gas shift reaction was determined under the operating conditions selected on the basis of some information available in the literature. The high temperature system (HTS) and low temperature system (LTS) reactors were assumed to be operated at temperatures of 350°C and 200°C, respectively. The operating pressure for both reactors was assumed to be 30 atmospheres. The H2 production rate of the partial oxidation (POX) and the WGS processes was 242T/D, which is approximately two times the amount produced by the HyS process alone. The PSA was used for the purification process leading to a hydrogen product with a purity of 99.99%. From the total H2 produced by the POX and the WGS processes only 90 percent of H2 is recovered in the PSA. The unrecovered H2 leaves the PSA as a purge gas together with C02 and traces of CH4, CO, and saturated H20. The estimated capital cost of the WGS plant with PSA is about US$50 million. The production cost is highly dependent on the cost of all of the required raw materials and utilities involved. The production cost obtained was US $1.41/kg H2 based on the input cost of synthesis gas as produced by the POX process. In this case the production cost of synthesis gas based on US $6/GJ for natural gas and US $0/Ton for oxygen was estimated to be US $0.154/kg. By increasing the oxygen and natural gas cost, the corresponding increase in synthesis gas has resulted in an increase in H2 production cost of US $1.84/kg. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

An experimental pressure swing adsorption unit has been constructed and used to investigate the separation of carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide enriched air using both an activated carbon and a type 5A molecular sieve adsorbent. Continuous, cyclic operation was achievedusing a pair of fixed bed adsorbers. At any one time the feed gas entered one bed at a high pressure and part of the purified gas was returned to the other bed at a reduced pressure to provide countercurrent regeneration of the adsorbent. The beds of adsorbent used were each nominally 0.165m diameter and Im. deep. Separations were carried out at approximately ambient temperature using air flow rates in the range 0.15 to 0.95 kg/m2s and inlet carbon dioxide concentrations'in the range 0.1 to 1.5% v/v. Adsorption pressures of 2 to 6.4 bar were examined, the desorption pressure being maintained throughout at essentially 1.0 bar. The period time was varied from 30 to 900 seconds and the revert ratio (i. e. the ratio of the product gas returned for desorption to the total feed rate to the unit) was varied from 0 to 1.0. The carbon dioxide separation efficiency was found to increase markedly as the adsorption pressure and the revert ratio were increased whereas it was relatively insensitive to variations in feed rate and, more particularly, feed concentration. The performance of the molecular sieve adsorbent was found to be very sensitive to the presence of moisture in the feed gas. In contrast the carbon dioxide efficiencies observed with Lhe activated carbon were unaffected by the presence of small amounts (circa 100 ppm) of moisture in the feed. A theoretical model has been proposed for predicting the performance of pressure swing adsorption systems of the type investigated and approximate analytical equations and more precise numerical techniques have been established to represent its solution. The approximate analytical solutions were found to give close agreement with the more precise methods examined under conditions corresponding to low values of a dimensionless period time parameter. The proposed theoretical model incorporates an effective irean mass transfer coefficient to represent the diffusion process within the adsorbent particles. Methods for estimation of the value of this coefficient based on the limiting conditions of a periodic constant surface flux or a periodic constant surface concentration are presented. The experimental performance data were analysed in terms of the proposed analytical solution to give values of the apparent solid phase mass transfer coefficient for comparison with those predicted theoretically. In general the apparent experimental values were consistently less than the predicted values. In addition the relationship between the experimental and predicted coefficients was found to be dependent on both the nature of the adsorbent and a parameter formed by the product of the revert ratio and the adsorption to desorption pressure ratio. Empirical correlating equations which incorporate this dependence are presented.

The thesis deals with the technologies upgrading the biogas to the quality of the natural gas for the following use in the gas distribution system. The main concern of the thesis is the pressure swing adsorption (PSA), which is nowadays one of the most exploited technologies. For a certain flow and composition of the biogas, completely new PSA technology was designed. Technological schema was created and the main technological devices (adsorbers) were drawn up together with the design documentation for this new technology. The important part of the thesis is also the model of the whole PSA technology in the ChemCAD programme and the evaluation of the operating and investment costs.

This thesis explores the use of computational chemistry and machine learning techniques to aid in the design of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for use in postcombustion carbon capture and storage (PoC-CCS). PoC-CCS is an ongoing field of research which aims to selectively remove carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas, from the exhaust of fossil-fuel burning powerplants. By using a suite of advanced simulation techniques, high-throughput screenings were performed on thousands of MOFs to study their behaviour in a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system. To develop a comprehensive picture of a material’s performance, the behaviour of individual gas molecules within the pores of the crystal structures to the material’s performance in industrial scale PSA columns was evaluated. To study the behaviour of individual gas molecules within the pores of a MOF, a new algorithm which can accurately determine the locations of gas binding sites was developed. This algorithm, which relies on probability distributions generated through grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations (GCMC), was optimized for CO2 with the goal of use in high-throughput screening. By tuning the user-controlled parameters for a desired gas, this algorithm, which was named the Guest Atom Localization Algorithm (GALA), was shown to accurately reproduce experimentally determined binding sites while being run in a high-throughput manner with no user intervention. Studying MOFs at the pore or crystal scale in this manner provides valuable insights into the behaviour of gases within the materials. A major shortcoming, however, is the lack of direct insight into the material’s behaviour in industrial systems. Materials scientists and MOF chemists have historically focused on a set of performance metrics measured at this scale; however, no clear connection can be made between such metrics and the performance of that sorbent material in a PSA column. To bridge this gap between MOF chemists and the process engineers studying the PSA systems, a large-scale screening of MOFs was performed using a sophisticated PSA simulator designed to reproduce the performance of an 80 kg PSA column. By supplying isotherms obtained using GCMC simulations to be used as inputs into the PSA simulator, a multi-scale high-throughput screening of MOFs for PoC-CCS was performed for the first time under coal-fired powerplant conditions. This multi-scale screening provided the ideal conditions to study the materials science performance metrics and their relationships to industrial PSA performance. To study this relationship, a series of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques were employed. The primary goal was to extract important relationships between the materials science and industrial PSA performance metrics, with a secondary goal of developing a predictive model which could be used to accelerate the pace of materials discovery. Through the use of machine learning, several metrics were identified which could be used to predict whether a material could meet the minimum target of 95 % purity of captured CO2, and 90 % removal (or recovery) of CO2 from the flue gas stream. Among them was the isotherm parameters for N2, the most abundant species in the flue gas. This finding was significant as to date the focus among MOF chemists studying the PoC-CCS system was placed primarily on the CO2 metrics, with N2 only implicitly considered when calculating the CO2/N2 selectivity. Although several metrics were identified which could predict the purity and recovery targets, none of the conventional metrics tested could be used to estimate the energetic cost of capture or the size of the capture plant, both important considerations in evaluating the cost of capture. The relationship between N2 binding within the pores of the MOF and its ability to meet the purity-recovery targets was explored using GALA. Using a Tanimoto similarity metric and the ratio of single component and competitive loadings, the CO2 and N2 binding environments were studied. It was determined that when the N2 binding environment was significantly altered by the presence of CO2, the material was more likely to meet the purity-recovery targets. Further analysis found that this change in binding environments was correlated to a reduced N2 uptake in the presence of CO2, implying that the competition for binding sites within the pores of the MOF is an important indicator for the material’s ability to meet the purity-recovery target. For the first time, a direct relationship between the behaviour of individual gas molecules to industrial PSA performance can be reported. Although the PSA simulator used throughout this work has proven to be a powerful tool for materials discovery, several shortcomings still exist. The first is the method used by the simulator to predict the loadings at various points within the column. This method relies on single component isotherm data despite the ability of GCMC to simulate multi-component isotherms. An alternative method to using single component isotherms was proposed which relies on multi-component isotherm data and a linear interpolation model. The existing method was compared to the new proposed interpolation method, and it was found that the loadings predicted using the interpolation method were more accurate. The second shortcoming of the PSA simulator is the computational expense associated with the optimizations. Using the PSA simulator, a single material may take up to a week to be fully optimized on a high-performance computing cluster. To increase the pace of materials discovery, a surrogate model was developed using the data accumulated over the course of the work presented in this thesis. Using artificial neural networks, a suite of models was developed which reproduces the outputs of the PSA simulator and is able to optimize a single MOF in a matter of minutes. This suite of models, known as the Fossil Fuel Combustion for Carbon Capture and Storage (FoCAS) was used to perform a screening of over 4,000 materials.

This thesis investigates the potential of biomethane production in India, the impact of its integration into the energy mix, and the corresponding Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emission and potential reduction. India, with its huge population and being an agriculturally rich country, produces gigantic amounts of biodegradable waste from various sources such as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW),agricultural waste, animal husbandry, sugar industry, etc. Three different end-use scenarios: electricity generation, cooking fuel, and transportation fuel—are assessed in order to determine the decree to which current fossil fuels may be replaced and the net amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are saved by using this biomethane. The total biomethane generation potential according to the study conducted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is 25.6 Billion Metric Standard Cubic Meters (BMSCM) and with the most efficient upgrading technology available (3-stage membrane filtration) the useful potential is 25.4 BMSCM. The electricity that can be produced from the biomethane potential available is 159.1 TWh, which corresponds to the optimistic value of GHG emission reduction of 89million tons. When used as a cooking fuel, biomethane can contribute immensely to satisfying the final thermal needs of India. It can satisfy more than half the combined total thermal energy from Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumed in India and, at the same time, reduce 46.2 million tons of GHG emissions caused by it. The transportation sectoris the most suited and easy to adapt as an end-use application for biomethane. It was observed that biomethane as a replacement for Petrol for road transportation fuel presents the best scenario, since biomethane can reduce more than 71% of its consumption and respectively reduce more than 57 million tons of GHG emission, which is the second highest after electricity production. This thesis puts up a strong case to look at biomethane as a very important fuel towards India’starget to be net zero by 2070 and its plans to be self-reliant. Moreover, biomethane production usingthe path of anaerobic digestion provides not only a renewable source of energy but also food security with digestate being used as fertilizer and an opportunity to address the impact of climate change by preventing the emission of methane in the atmosphere which has a global warming potential of28 and burning of agricultural waste in the open field. Eventually, the production of biomethane prevents soil, air and water pollution. / Denna avhandling undersöker potentialen för biometanproduktion i Indien, effekterna av dess integration i energimixen och motsvarande utsläpp och potential för växthusgaser (GHG). minskning. Indien, med sin enorma befolkning och är ett jordbruksrikt land, producerar gigantiska mängder biologiskt nedbrytbart avfall från olika källor som kommunalt fast avfall (MSW), jordbruksavfall, djurhållning, sockerindustri, etc. Tre olika slutanvändningsscenarier: el produktion,matlagningsbränsle och transportbränsle – utvärderas för att fastställa till vilket dekret nuvarande fossila bränslen får ersättas och nettomängden växthusgasutsläpp som sparas genom att använda denna biometan. Den totala biometangenereringspotentialen enligt studien utförd av ministeriet för ny och förnybarenergi (MNRE) är 25,6 miljarder metriska standardkubikmeter (BMSCM) och med den mest effektiva uppgraderingstekniken som finns tillgänglig (3-stegs membranfiltrering) är den användbara potentialen 25,4 BMSCM. Den el som kan produceras från den tillgängliga biometanpotentialen är 159,1 TWh medan det optimistiska värdet av växthusgasutsläpp som är möjligt med användning av biometan för elproduktion är 89 miljoner ton. När biometan används som matlagningsbränsle kan det bidra oerhört mycket för att tillfredsställa Indiens slutliga termiska behov. Det kan tillfredsställa mer än halva finalen termisk energi som förbrukas i Indien och samtidigt samma miljon ton i utsläpp av växthusgaser som orsakas av den. Transportsektorn är den mest lämpade och lätta att anpassa som slutanvändningsprogram för biometan. Det observerades att biometan som ersättning för bensin som transportbränsle är det bästa scenariot eftersom biometan kan minskamer än 71 % av sin förbrukning och respektive minska mer än 57 miljoner ton växthusgasutsläpp, vilket är det näst högsta efter elproduktion. Den här avhandlingen ger ett starkt argument för att se biometan som ett mycket viktigt bränslemot Indiens mål att vara nettonoll år 2070 och dess planer på att vara självförsörjande. Dessutom ger biometanproduktion genom att använda vägen för anaerob rötning inte bara en förnybar energikälla utan också livsmedelssäkerhet med rötgas som används som gödningsmedel och en möjlighet att ta itu med effekterna av klimatförändringar genom att förhindra utsläpp av metan i atmosfären som har en global uppvärmningspotential på 28 och förbränning av jordbruksavfall på det öppna fältet. Så småningom förhindrar produktionen av biometan mark-, luft- och vattenföroreningar.

The topic of this master thesis is upgrading of biogas. As a mixture of gases produced during anaerobic digestion, contains methane which is highly energy valuable gas. But also other substances that we want to remove. We will present the motivation for upgrading biogas and the possibility of separation, generally the pressure swing adsorption method. The key parameter of this technique is the choice of a suitable adsorbent. This is possible based on the knowledge of adsorption processes, therefore, is also described below. The objective of this thesis is to determine the parameters of the pressure swing adsorption metod. To do this it is necessary to determine the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent, measure breakthrough curves of carbon dioxide and methane, and determine the pressure drop of solid bed, etc. As a result we can finally make a balance and evaluate the applicability in practice.

Trabalho realizado na Sysadvance, Sistemas de Engenharia, SA, orientado pelo Doutor Patrick Bárcia / Tese de Mestrado Integrado. Engenharia Química. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia.. 2011

About 8 tons of dry undigested solid waste is generated by the MixAlco process for every 40 tons of food residue waste fed into the process. This MixAlco process produces liquid fuels and the sludge generated can be further converted into synthesis gas using the process of pyrolysis. The hydrogen component of the product synthesis gas may be separated by pressure swing adsorption and used in the hydrogenation of ketones into fuels and chemicals. The synthesis gas may also be catalytically converted into liquid fuels via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process. The auger-type pyrolyzer was operated at a temperature between 630-770 degrees C and at feed rates in the range of 280-374 g/minute. The response surface statistical method was used to obtain the highest syngas composition of 43.9 +/- 3.36 v % H2/33.3 +/- 3.29 v % CO at 740 degrees C. The CH4 concentration was 20.3 +/- 2.99 v %. For every ton of sludge pyrolyzed, 5,990 g H2 (719.3 MJ), 65,000 g CO (660 MJ) and 21,170 g CH4 (1055.4 MJ) were projected to be produced at optimum condition. At all temperatures, the sum of the energies of the products was greater than the electrical energy needed to sustain the process, making it energy neutral. To generate internal H2 for the MixAlco process, a method was developed to efficiently separate H2 using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) from the synthesis gas, with activated carbon and molecular sieve 5A as adsorbents. The H2 can be used to hydrogenate ketones generated from the MixAlco process to more liquid fuels. Breakthrough curves, cycle mass balances and cycle bed productivities (CBP) were used to determine the maximum hydrogen CBP using different adsorbent amounts at a synthesis gas feed rate of 10 standard lpm and pressure of 118 atm. A 99.9 % H2 purity was obtained. After a maximum CBP of 66 % was obtained further increases in % recovery led to a decrease in CBP. The synthesis gas can also be catalytically converted into liquid fuels by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) process. A Co-SiO2/Mo-Pd-Pt-ZSM-5 catalyst with a metal-metal-acid functionality was synthesized with the aim of increasing the selectivity of JP-8 (C10-C17) fuel range. The specific surface areas of the two catalysts were characterized using the BET technique. The electron probe microanalyzer (with WDS and EDS capabilities) was then used to confirm the presence of the applied metals Co, Mo, Pd and Pt on the respective supports. In addition to the gasoline (C4-C12) also produced, the synthesis gas H2:CO ratio was also adjusted to 1.90 for optimum cobalt performance in an enhanced FTS process. At 10 atm (150 psig) and 250 degrees C, the conventional FTS catalyst Co-SiO2 produced fuels rich in hydrocarbons within the gasoline carbon number range. At the same conditions the Co-SiO2-Mo-Pd-Pt/HZSM-5 catalyst increased the selectivity of JP-8. When Co-SiO2/Mo-Pd-Pt-HZSM-5 was used at 13.6 atm (200 psig) and 250 degrees C, a further increase in the selectivity of JP-8 and to some extent diesel was observed. The relative amounts of olefins and n-paraffins decreased with the products distribution shifting more towards the production of isomers.