• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2022

In this study, the inhibition of ammonia on anaerobic digestion of butyric acid was evaluated and the potential alleviating effects of such ammonia inhibition by the addition of magnetite particles were investigated. Independent anaerobic batch tests fed with butyric acid as a sole organic source were conducted in twenty 60-mL glass bottles with 10 different treatment conditions, comprising ammonia: 0.5, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, and 7.0 g total ammonia nitrogen (TAN)/L and magnetite particles: 0 mM and 20 mM. The increase in ammonia concentration did not cause significant inhibition on methane yield; however, a significant inhibition on lag time and specific methane production rate was observed. The IC₅₀ in the control treatments (without magnetite addition) was estimated as 6.2654 g TAN/L. A similar inhibition trend was observed in magnetite-added treatments; however, the inhibition effect by ammonia was significantly alleviated in lag time and specific methane production rate when compared to those in the control treatments. The lag time was shortened by 1.6-46.3%, specific methane production rate was improved by 6.0-69.0%. In the magnetite-added treatments, IC₅₀ was estimated as 8.5361 g TAN/L. This study successfully demonstrated the potential of magnetite particles as an enhancer in anaerobic digestion of butyric acid under conditions of ammonia stress.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.64-68
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• 2005

Methane reforming processes to obtain hydrogen were investigated experimentally by using atmospheric plasma source. Among possible reforming processes, such as a $CO_2$ reforming(dry reforming), a partial oxidation (POx), a steam reforming(SR), and a steam reforming with oxygen(SRO or auto-thermal reforming), partial oxidation and the steam reforming with oxygen were considered. We choose a rotating arc plasma as an atmospheric plasma source, since it shows the best performances in our preliminary tests in terms of a methane conversion, a hydrogen production, and a power consumption. Then, the effects of a feeding flow-rate, an electrical power input to a plasma reaction, an $O_2/C$ ratio and a steam to carbon ratio in the case of SRO on the reforming characteristics were observed systematically. As results, at a certain condition almost 100% of methane conversion was obtained and we could achieve the same hydrogen production rate by consuming a half of electrical power which was used by the best results for other researchers.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.40-49
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• 2021

This paper explains the development process of methane decomposition to hydrogen and carbon black using solar thermal energy. It also demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of five different reactors for each development stage, including the reactor's experimental results. Starting with the initial direct heating type reactor, the indirect heating type reactor was developed through five modifications. The 40-kWth solar furnace installed at the Korea Institute of Energy Research was used for the experiment. In the experiment using the developed indirect heating reactor, an 89.0% methane to hydrogen conversion rate was achieved at a methane flow rate of 40 L/min, obtained at about twice the flow rate compared to previous advanced studies.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.864-873
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• 2013

In developing countries, biogas energy production is seen as a technology that can provide clean energy in poor regions and reduce pollution caused by animal manure. Laboratories in these countries have little access to advanced gas measuring equipment, which may limit research aimed at improving local adapted biogas production. They may also be unable to produce valid estimates of an international standard that can be used for articles published in international peer-reviewed science journals. This study tested and validated methods for measuring total biogas and methane ($CH_4$) production using batch fermentation and for characterizing the biomass. The biochemical methane potential (BMP) ($CH_4$ NL $kg^{-1}$ VS) of pig manure, cow manure and cellulose determined with the Moller and VDI methods was not significantly different in this test (p>0.05). The biodegradability using a ratio of BMP and theoretical BMP (TBMP) was slightly higher using the Hansen method, but differences were not significant. Degradation rate assessed by methane formation rate showed wide variation within the batch method tested. The first-order kinetics constant k for the cumulative methane production curve was highest when two animal manures were fermented using the VDI 4630 method, indicating that this method was able to reach steady conditions in a shorter time, reducing fermentation duration. In precision tests, the repeatability of the relative standard deviation (RSDr) for all batch methods was very low (4.8 to 8.1%), while the reproducibility of the relative standard deviation (RSDR) varied widely, from 7.3 to 19.8%. In determination of biomethane concentration, the values obtained using the liquid replacement method (LRM) were comparable to those obtained using gas chromatography (GC). This indicates that the LRM method could be used to determine biomethane concentration in biogas in laboratories with limited access to GC.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.597-603
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• 1996

This study was carried out to examine degradation characteristics of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris in methane fermentation. We measured COD and VS reduction, gas and methane productivity, VFA (volatile fatty acid), respectively. Then we calculated material balance and hydrolysis rates in soluble and solid material. The substrate concentration was controlled from 14 gCOD$_{cr}$/l to 64 gCOD$_{cr}$/l in batch cultures, and HRT (hydraulic retention time) controlled from 2 days to 30 days in continuous experi- ments. The results were as follows. In batch culture, accumulated gas productivity increased with the increase of the substrate concentration. The SS and VSS was removed all about 30% increase of substrate concentration and the most of the degradable material removed during the first 10 days. The curve of gas and methane production rate straightly increased until substrate concentration is 26 gCOD$_{cr}$/l. In continuous culture experiments, the removal rates at HRT 10days were 20% for total COD and TOC, respectively. At longer HRT, there was no increase in the removal efficiency. At HRT 15 days, the removal rates were 30% for SS and VSS, respectively. Soluble organic materials were rapidly degraded, and so there was no accumulated. Soluble COD concentration was not increase regardless of HRT-increasing. That meaned the hydrolysis was one of the rate-limiting stage of methane fermentation. The first-order rate constants of hydrolysis were 0.23-0.28 day$^{-1}$ for VSS, and 0.07-0.08 day$^{-1}$ for COD.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.362-370
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• 2006

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the reforming characteristics and optimum operating condition of the plasmatron assisted $CH_4$ reforming reaction for the hydrogen-rich gas production. Also, in order to increase the hydrogen production and the methane conversion rate, parametric screening studies were conducted, in which there were the variations of the $CH_4$ flow ratio, $CO_2$ flow ratio, vapor flow ratio, mixing flow ratio and catalyst addition in reactor. High temperature plasma flame was generated by air and arc discharge. The air flow rate and input electric power were fixed 5.1 l/min and 6.4 kW, respectively. When the $CH_4$ flow ratio was 38.5%, the production of hydrogen was maximized and optimal methane conversion rate was 99.2%. Under these optimal conditions, the following synthesis gas concentrations were determined: $H_2$, 45.4%; CO, 6.9%; $CO_2$, 1.5%; and $C_2H_2$, 1.1%. The $H_2/CO$ ratio was 6.6, hydrogen yield was 78.8% and energy conversion rate was 63.6%.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.104-108
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to determine how feeding forage and concentrate separately (SF) or as a total mixed ration (TMR) affects enteric methane production of cattle. Six Holstein steers ($203{\pm}22.5kg$) were used in a $2{\times}3$ changeover design experiment. Experimental diets (TMR and SF) consisted of compound feed, timothy hay and soybean curd residue in a ratio of 40:48:12, respectively, and diets were fed at 10% of metabolic body weight, on an as-fed basis. There were no differences in dry matter intake and enteric methane production (g/d) between SF and TMR but the methane conversion rate (methane energy/GE intake) of TMR was significantly higher (p=0.05) than that of SF. The mean methane emission factor (kg/head/year) and conversion rate of the two treatments were 21.4 and 0.05, respectively. There was a strong relationship between metabolic body weight and enteric methane production (p<0.001). At the present time, further studies may be necessary in order to establish the effects of TMR and SF on enteric methane production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.315-322
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biodegradability and performance of organic removal and methane production rate when treating piggery wastewater using a granule of two-phase anaerobic process applied UASB. BMP test was conducted as simple means to monitor relative biodegradability of substrate and to determine methane production of an organic material. The two-phase anaerobic process is consisted of a continuous flow stirred-tank reactor (CFSTR) for the acidification phase and an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (UASB) for the methanogenesis. The acidogenic reactor played key roles in reducing the periodically applied shock-loading and in the acidification of the influent organics. A stable maximum biogas production rate was 400mL. The methane contents ranged from 73 to 80% during the experimental period. It is known that most of the removed organic matter was converted to methane gas, and the produced biogas might be high quality for its subsequent use.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Forest soils contain microbes capable of consuming atmospheric methane ($CH_4$), an amount matching the annual increase in $CH_4$ concentration in the atmosphere. However, the effect of plant residue production by different forest structure on $CH_4$ oxidation is not studied in Korea. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Korean alpine soils having different forestation structure on $CH_4$ uptake rates. METHODS AND RESULTS: the $CH_4$ flux was measured at three sites dominated with pine, chestnut and oak trees in southern Korea. The $CH_4$ uptake potentials were evaluated by a closed chamber method for a year. The $CH_4$ uptake rate was the highest in the pine tree soil ($1.05mg/m^2/day$) and then followed by oak ($0.930mg/m^2/day$) and chestnut trees ($0.497mg/m^2/day$). The $CH_4$ uptake rates were highly correlated to soil organic matter and moisture contents, and total microbial and methanotrophs activities. Different with the general concent, there was no any correlation between $CH_4$ oxidation rates, and soil temperature and labile carbon concentrations, irrespective with tree species. CONCLUSION: Conclusively, the methane oxidation rate was correlated in positive manner with organic matter, abundance of methanotrophs. Methane oxidation was different among tree species. This results could be used to estimate methane oxidation rate in forest of Korea after complementing information about statistical data and methane oxidation of other site.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.65-73
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• 2018

Coalbed methane has a nonlinear desorption curve depending on the pressure, so an appropriate production system should be constructed considering this phenomenon. The capacity and specification of the coalbed methane gas production facility are determined by the gas flow rate and pressure in the coalbed, which is the external boundary condition of the system. Thus, it is essential to analyze these characteristics in gas production. The gas inflow equation was calculated using the reservoir flow model and utilized as the boundary condition of the whole production facility in this study. Also, to understand the effect of pressure drop on the gas flow in the production facility, the nodal analysis was performed using the flow analysis simulator of production equipment, and we determined the proper specifications and operating conditions of the production facility. This study presents a design criteria as to production and gathering system capable of effectively transporting coalbed methane.