Production, Purification and Compression of Biogas from Cow Dung
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/usci.2544.027Keywords:
Biogas, cow dung, anaerobic digestion, scrubbing, compression, calcium oxide, iron filings, silica gel, calorific valueAbstract
Biogas has been widely recognized as a viable alternative energy source; however, its commercial use remains limited due to challenges with storage and transportation. This study elucidates the processes involved in the production, scrubbing, compression, and storage of biogas derived from cow dung, with the aim of enhancing its portability and combustion efficiency. A total of 385 kg of fresh cow dung was anaerobically digested in a 1 m³ floating-dome digester for a retention period of seven days to generate raw biogas. The raw biogas was subsequently purified through a three-stage scrubbing system: carbon dioxide (CO₂) was removed by chemical absorption using 100 g/L calcium oxide (CaO) slurry, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) was eliminated using 863 g of iron filings via adsorption, and water vapor was extracted using 498 g of silica gel crystals. The purified biogas was compressed to an absolute pressure of 4 bar using a refrigerant compressor and stored in a 23.7 L compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder. The compression process was completed within 4.54 minutes, with direct proportional relationships observed between compression time, cylinder pressure, and compressor surface temperature. The performance of the compressed biogas was evaluated through water boiling and food cooking tests and compared with raw biogas and conventional fuels (kerosene, firewood, charcoal, and butane gas). The scrubbed and compressed biogas boiled 1 liter of water in 7 minutes and 49 seconds, representing a 33% reduction in boiling time compared to raw biogas (11 minutes and 37 seconds). Similarly, cooking 1 kg of rice required 30 minutes with purified biogas, compared to 45 minutes with raw biogas, indicating a 33% improvement in cooking efficiency. These findings demonstrate that the sequential scrubbing of CO₂, H₂S, and water vapor using locally available materials significantly enhances the calorific value and combustion performance of biogas, while compression facilitates its storage and transportation. The study establishes a replicable low-cost system for producing portable high-energy biogas suitable for domestic applications.
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