[Zoe]

Hi Lorenzo,

From our experience working with people/ companies at every stage of the process, one thing that is pretty clear (IMO) is that there’s no “one size fits all” solution. Each plant is different, and determining what equipment would be best for upgrading will depend on the kind of plant, capacity, region, etc. The good people at @Waga-Energy, @prodeval_raphael , @AB-Group , among others, should be able to give you more specifics depending on your facility.🙂

Hope that helps!

[Malek Mezni]

Hi, just adding to what Zoe said, the size, electricity cost, location and various operational constraints can help developers chose the right upgrading technology (PSA, membrane technology, chemical scrubbing, ..)

[Natalia Bourenane]

Thank you for your input @AB-Group

[Lorenzo]

Thanks!

[Tejas]

Hi Lorenzo,

There are wide range of criteria starting from desired gas composition in outlet, methane loss, CAPEX, OPEX, plant availability, maintenance/replacement hours and cost.

I have prepared excel sheet to compare those,

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tejas-chauhan-91894484_biocng-cbg-biogas-activity-7321076701671636992-ZnQ5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABHv0CQBQ03tTTA-QaAEv36i8cRUnWux2nM

linkedin.com

Choosing the right biogas upgrading system for BioCNG/CBG | Tejas Chauhan posted on the topic | LinkedIn

💡 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐔𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐂𝐍𝐆/𝐂𝐁𝐆? After finalizing your digester tech, the next big question is:  👉 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵? Top options include: 🔹 PSA/VPSA 🔹 Water Scrubber 🔹 Amine … Continue reading

[Natalia Bourenane]

Tejas, thank you for sharing this publication. This is very interesting. Will it be applicable to any territory or is it country specific? @Tejas

[Tejas]

This is applicable to everywhere.

[Lorenzo]

Thank you Tejas for the info!

[Brad]

Hi Lorenzo;

For several years I sold three of the four upgrading technologies (PSA, membranes, water wash & amine wash), and during that time I did over 600 technology comparisons for RNG developers. I can attest that the criteria for selecting one technology over another needs to be based on which criteria has the biggest impact on life cycle project profitability. In a nutshell that means comparing all four on the basis of:

1) Performance (Risk of Shut in),

2) Reliability (Risk of Downtime),

3) OpEx,

4) Methane Recovery, and

5) CapEx

… in that order. I can also attest to the fact that while every project is different, and every technology has it’s niche where it’s the best fit, in my experience, the vast majority of the time PSA will provide the highest life cycle project profitability.

I disagree with simply reaching out to vendors to ask their opinion, as not surprisingly, each vendor suggests that the best technology is the one they sell. You need a neutral third party to do the comparison.

And while your EPC should be your best option for an unbiased technology comparison, they will often have strong preferences based on what they have the most experience with – i.e it’s easier for them to repeat what they did on a previous project that to risk learning a new technology & process. This will often cloud their judgement, keeping you from getting an truly unbiased opinion that is tailored to the specifics of your project.

[Natalia Bourenane]

Brad, thank you very much for your reply. It is certain that your experience in US market brings a lot to the table. Are you offering consulting services for projects as part of your current mandate?

[Brad]

Absolutely. With 20+ years in the biogas and RNG industry and a deep background in RNG offtake, business development, project management, investment, acquisitions, O&M, and EPC, I offer a wide range of consulting expertise. Interested parties can find out more at http://www.RNGinsight.com or reach out to me at brad@RNGinsight.com.

rnginsight.com

RNG insight | Professional Consulting Services for Biogas & RNG

Your on demand biogas & RNG consultant. RNG insight provides professional consulting services for biogas to energy and renewable natural gas (RNG) project developers, owners, financiers, investors, engineers, EPCs, technology and service providers, stations, fleets, feedstock owners, marketers, utilities and … Continue reading

[Natalia Bourenane]

Excellent, thank you for confirming your services Brad!

[Dave]

Well said Brad!

We are seeing digester owner clients dealing with issues of very poor turn-down on their upgraders, with more than 30% methane loss when operating at low flows. Dramatically poor performance from some upgrading technology as they wrestle with feedstock supply to be able to increase the production of raw biogas!