Environmental Decision Support System for Biogas Upgrading to Feasible Fuel

Biogas production is a growing market and the existing conversion technologies require different biogas quality and characteristics. In pursuance of assisting decision-makers in biogas upgrading an environmental decision support system (EDSS) was developed. Since the field is rapidly progressing, this tool is easily updatable with new data from technical and scientific literature through the knowledge acquisition level. By a thorough technology review, the diagnosis level evaluates a wide spectrum of technologies for eliminating siloxanes, H2S, and CO2 from biogas, which are scored in a supervision level based upon environmental, economic, social and technical criteria. The sensitivity of the user towards those criteria is regarded by the EDSS giving a response based on its preferences. The EDSS was validated with data from a case-study for removing siloxanes from biogas in a sewage plant. The tool described the flow diagram of treatment alternatives and estimated the performance and effluent quality, which matched the treatment currently given in the facility. Adsorption onto activated carbon was the best-ranked technology due to its great efficiency and maturity as a commercial technology. On the other hand, biological technologies obtained high scores when economic and environmental criteria were preferred. The sensitivity analysis proved to be effective allowing the identification of the challenges and opportunities for the technologies considered.