Making biogas fuel cells a reality
Biogas is an environmentally friendly source of energy. Methane, the main component of biogas, is produced by the anaerobic digestion of organic matter (e.g. animal and human waste). Methane is a clean-burning fuel with minimal pollutant emissions. Silicon present in the biogas can accumulate in and damage the gas-burning engine, significantly reducing its lifetime. It also reduces the efficiency of the catalytic system, resulting in increased pollutant emissions. Various methods exist to clean the biogas of the silicon-containing compounds, namely organosiloxanes, but are currently very expensive. This has limited the application of biogas, particularly in the developing fuel cell market. In order to overcome this obstacle, the European Commission funded the AMONCO project. The project coordinator, Profactor, led the charge to develop more cost-effective cleaning mechanisms. Profactor developed a biofilter based on microorganisms that can compete with the efficiencies of the more expensive methods of freezing, activated carbons and solvent washing, but at a much lower cost. In the framework of AMONCO, a prototype was developed and tested at the laboratory level. Further refinements must be made before the system can be extended to industrial size biogas plants but we are one step closer to economically and technically viable biogas fuel cells.
