• Plant Journal
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.58-65
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• 2023

In this study, to increase the methane content of biogas supplied from Nanji Water Regeneration Center and to purify impurities, a three-stage membrane purification process was designed and installed to demonstrate operation. The methane concentration of biomethane produced in the 2 Nm3/h purification process was set to three cases: 95%, 96.5%, and 98%, and the membrane area ratio of the membrane was 1:1, 1:2, 1:1:1, The optimum conditions for the membrane area of the separator were derived by changing to five of 1:2:1 and 1:2:2. 3 stage separation membrane process of 30 Nm3/h was installed to reflect the optimum condition of 2 Nm3/h, and biomethane production of 98% or more of methane concentration was demonstrated. As a result of the operation of the 2 Nm³/h refining device, the methane recovery rate at the 98% methane concentration was 95.6% when the membrane area ratio was 1:1 as the result of the two-stage operation of the separator, and the recovery rate of methane at 1:2 was increased to 96.8%. The methane recovery rate of the membrane three-stage operation was highest at 96.8% when the membrane area ratio was operated at 1:2:1. The carbon dioxide removal rate was 16.4 to 96.4% and the 2:2 to 95.7% film area ratio in the two-step process. In the three-step process, the film area ratio was 1:2:1 to 95.4%, and the two-step process showed higher results than the three-step process. In the 30 Nm3/h scale biogas purification demonstration operation, the methane concentration after purification was 98%, the recovery rate of methane was 97.1%, the removal rate of carbon dioxide was 95.7%, and hydrogen sulfide, the cause of corrosion, was not detected, and the membrane area ratio was 1:2:1 demonstration operation, biomethane production with a methane concentration of 98% or higher was possible.

• Clean Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.406-414
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• 2014

Biogas is a gaseous mixture produced from microbial digestion of organic materials in the absence of oxygen. Raw biogas, depending upon organic materials, digestion time and process conditions, contains about 45-75% methane, 30-50% carbon dioxide, 0.3% of hydrogen sulfide gas and fraction of water vapor. To achieve the standard composition of the biogas the treatment techniques like absorption or membrane separation was performed for the resourcing of biogas. In this paper the experimental results of the methane purification in simulated biogas mixture consisted of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide were presented. The composite membrane is manufactured within polysulfone in order to increase the separation performances for the gaseous mixtures of $CO_2$ and $CH_4$ which are main components of the biogas. The effects of feed pressures and mixed gas on the separation of $CO_2-CH_4$ by membrane are investigated. Chelate chemical was utilized to treat the purification of methane from the $H_2S$ concentration of 0.3%.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.76-83
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• 2017

Biogas, combine with ever-increasing natural gas demand, has been on the center stage in South Korea for the early part of twenty first century in an effort to reduce the emission of global warming gases. With the passage of legal system of City Gas Business Law in 2014, the biogas has its place of production and distribution to consumers. However, it has a room for its technological improvements in terms of enrichment, by separating carbon dioxide and removing impurities efficiently. For these improvements, four different methane enrichment processes were tested in this study; membrane separation, water absorption, Chemical Absorption and Adsorption. A variety of operation scenarios were applied to the processes and the best practices were drawn out. The optimum process was selected based on case study results. Methane produced in this study showed 97% purity and 98% recovery rate, which meets the requirements of the City Gas quality standards.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.903-915
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• 2011

Recently, anaerobic methane production of agricultural waste biomass has received increasing attention. Until now domestic BMP (Biochemical methane potential) studies concerned with agricultural waste biomass have concentrated on the several waste biomass such as livestock manure, food waste, and sewage sludge from WWTP (Waste water treatment plant). Especially, the lack of standardization study of BMP assay method has caused the confused comprehension and interpretation in the comparison of BMP results from various researchers. Germany and USA had established the standard methods, VDI 4630 and ASTM E2170-01, for the analysis of BMP and anaerobic organic degradation, respectively. In this review, BMP was defined in the aspect of organic material represented as COD (Chemical oxygen demand) and VS (Volatile solid), and the influence of several parameters on the methane potential of the feedstock was presented. In the investigation of domestic BMP case studies, BMP results of 18 biomass species generating from agriculture and agro-industry were presented. And BMP results of crop species reported from foreign case studies were presented according to the classification system of crops such as food crop, vegetables, oil seed and specialty crop, orchards, and fodder and energy crop. This review emphasizes the urgent need for characterizing the innumerable kind of biomass by their capability on methane production.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1252-1257
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• 2011

Number of crop residues generated at large amount in agriculture can be utilized as substrate in methane production by anaerobic digestion. Greenhouse vegetable crop cultivation that adopting intensive agricultural system require the heating energy during winter season, meanwhile produce waste biomass source for the methane production. The purpose of this study was to investigate the methane production potential of greenhouse vegetable crop residues and to estimate material and energy yield in greenhouse system. Cucumber, tomato, and paprika as greenhouse vegetable crop were used in this study. Fallen fruit, leaf, and stem residues were collected at harvesting period from the farmhouses (Anseong, Gyeonggi, Korea) adopting an intensive greenhouse cultivation system. Also the amount of fallen vegetables and plant residues, and planting density of each vegetable crop were investigated. Chemical properties of vegetable waste biomass were determined, and theoretical methane potentials were calculated using Buswell's formula from the element analysis data. Also, BMP (Biochemical methane potential) assay was carried out for each vegetable waste biomass in mesophilic temperature ($38^{\circ}C$). Theoretical methane potential ($B_{th}$) and Ultimate methane potential ($B_u$) off stem, leaf, and fallen fruit in vegetable residues showed the range of $0.352{\sim}0.485Nm^3\;kg^{-1}VS_{added}$ and $0.136{\sim}0.354Nm^3\;kg^{-1}VS_{added}$ respectively. The biomass yields of residues of tomato, cucumber, and paprika were 28.3, 30.5, and $21.5Mg\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. The methane yields of tomato, cucumber, and paprika residues showed 645.0, 782.5, and $686.8Nm^3\;ha^{-1}$. Methane yield ($Nm^3\;ha^{-1}$) of crop residue may be highly influenced by biomass yield which is mainly affected by planting density.

• 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.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2009

Acetogen과 같은 일부 혐기성미생물은 소위 acetyl-CoA 경로에 의해 아세트산, 에탄올, 그리고 몇 가지 생화학 물질을 생산한다. 이 경로에서는 일산화탄소를 기질로 이용할 수 있다. 일산화탄소 이외에 수소가 이용될 수 있다. 즉 이들 미생물은 독립영양생물로서 이산화탄소와 태양광에너지를 이용하는 녹색식물과 비유될 수 있으며, 일산화탄소는 탄소원으로서 동시에 에너지원으로서 이용된다. 본 연구에서는 혐기성 소화액 중 아세트산을 생성하는 미생물이 존재한다고 가정하고, 일산화탄소와 수소가 주 가연성분인 합성가스를 공급하면 추가의 메탄이 생성가능성을 평가하였다. 혐기성 소화과정에서 발생되는 메탄은 주로 아세트산으로부터 만들어지므로 일산화탄소를 공급하는 경우 추가로 메탄이 생성될 것으로 추측할 수 있기 때문이다. 이를 확인하기 위하여 현재 운영중인 바이오가스 생산 설비로부터 얻은 혐기성 소화액을 생물반응조에 넣은 후, 합성가스를 순환-공급하여 가스 생산량의 변화 및 조성을 분석하였다. 질소가스를 공급한 대조구와는 달리 일산화탄소 또는 합성가스를 공급한 경우에는 메탄가스가 생산되는 것을 확인하였다. 질소가스를 공급한 대조구와는 달리 일산화탄소 또는 합성가스를 공급한 경우에는 메탄가스가 생산되는 것을 확인하였다. 일산화탄소만을 공급했을 때에는 이산화탄소의 생성으로 가스 생산량이 증가하였으나, 수소가 포함된 합성가스를 공급하였을 때에는 이산화탄소가 탄소원이로 소비되어 가스 저장도 내의 가스량이 감소하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 가스화공정에 으해 얻어지는 합성가스는 온도와 가스 조성을 고러할 때, 바이오가스 생산을 위한 혐기성 소화조와 연계하면 소화조의 가온에 필요한 열을 공급할 수 있고 바이오가스 중 이산화탄소 농도를 낮추어 발열량을 개선할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.5-13
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• 2019

This study is conducted to investigate the effects of anaerobic treatments of swine manure slurry alone and combination of livestock manure slurry and fruit pomace on biogas production. Anaerobic co-digestion was evaluated in mesophilic tank reactors for 96 day-incubation period. The organic matter loading of anaerobic digestion was 1 kg of volatile solids(VS) per $1m^3{\cdot}day$. The highest methane production was achieved from the combination of swine manure slury and mandarin pomace(70:30) treatment, whereas the lowest daily and cumulative methane yields was observed in swine manure slurry alone treatment. More than two-fold increase in bio-gas and methane production was obtained by combination of livestock manure slurry and mandarin pomace treatment, compared to the swine manure slurry alone treatment. The co-digestion of livestock manure and fruits pomace has advantages to enhance the production of methane gas, compared to digestion of swine manure slurry alone.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.243-251
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• 2018

Methane is one of the important greenhouse gases and methane is the major component of the biogas. A multiple stage membrane process was developed and analysed with the numerical analysis so that the mole fraction of methane in the final product could be kept higher than 0.95 and simultaneously the recovery of methane was also maintained higher than 99% from the biogas using 3 polysulfone hollow fiber membrane modules which were properly connected. As the feed pressure of the biogas, the mole fraction of methane in the biogas and the membrane area in the membrane module are increased, the methane mole fraction of the final product are found to be increased. However, a proper membrane area in the module should be carefully selected in order to achieve the satisfactory goal of 0.95 mole fraction of methane and 99% recovery of methane from the biogas. Even if the multiple membrane process is utilized with the properly selected membrane modules, the limited operating ranges have to be applied in the following parameters : the feed pressure, the flow rate, the mole fraction of methane in the biogas to get both the target methane concentration and the recovery rate of methane.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 2013

The methane oxidation characteristics at the top and bottom layers in up-flow biofilters were investigated. Two biofilters were packed with perlite and tobermolite (biofilter A: respectively top and bottom; biofilter B: respectively bottom and top) and then compared. The methane oxidation rate was analyzed with the packed bed of the biofilter layers. The bacterial population in the biofilter was characterized using quantitative real-time PCR. For the methane oxidation rate of the biofilter A column, the perlite top part ($845.16{\pm}64.78{\mu}mol{\cdot}VS^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$) gave a relatively higher value than the tobermolite bottom part ($381.85{\pm}42.00{\mu}mol{\cdot}VS^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$). For the methane oxidation rate of the biofilter B column, the tobermolite top part ($601.25{\pm}37.78{\mu}mol{\cdot}VS^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$) provided a relatively higher value than the perlite bottom part ($411.07{\pm}53.02{\mu}mol{\cdot}VS^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$). The pmoA gene copy numbers, responsible for methanotrophs, in the top layer of biofilter A (1.27E+13 pmoA gene copy number/mg-VSS) was higher than in the bottom layer (3.33E+13 pmoA gene copy number/mg-VSS). However, the population of methanotrophs in biofilter B was not significantly different between the top and bottom layers. These results suggest that although the methane oxidation rates of perlite and tobermolite in the top parts of biofilter A and B were high, methanotroph populations were higher in the bottom parts of both biofilters, with a rapid decline in methane concentrations within the biofilters.