Precision Carbon Materials
Biogas Upgrading
™
Precision Carbon Materials
Biogas is biologically generated natural gas (methane, CH4) containing significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other impurities. Biogas
is produced by the decomposition of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Common sources of biogas include anaerobic digestion of industrial and municipal wastewater at treatment facilities, anaerobic digestion of livestock manure, and gas generated by landfills. Biogas is a valuable
source of renewable energy if captured and processed, but its uncontrolled release from animal waste and landfills contributes to global warming
(methane is far more active as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide).
Biogas treatment systems are designed to remove CO2 and other impurities from the raw
biogas to make it suitable for either electric power generation or use as a fuel substitute. Biogas
upgrading refers specifically to purifying raw biogas to generate a pipeline quality natural gas
substitute, suitable for injection into the gas pipeline infrastructure or for use with cleaner burning compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
ATMI has developed proprietary BrightBlack™ carbon adsorbents that can be used to selectively remove impurities from digester gas. BrightBlack is a unique porous carbon material
with an extremely high fraction (>40%) of ultra-micropores (also referred to as nanopores,
<0.8 nm), high density (≥1 g/cc), high surface area (>1100 m2/g or >1200 m2/cc), high hardness/attrition resistance (<0.01%/hr) and very high purity (<0.1% ash content). To date, ATMI
has manufactured over 150,000 lb. of this material. A picture of BrightBlack pellets is shown
in Figure 1.
Figure 1: BrightBlack ™ carbon material (shown here in
pellet form) has yielded pipeline-purity-level natural
gas from raw biogas during field-testing with a variety
of commercial businesses.
ATMI has established the capability to “tune” the pore size of these advanced adsorbents to molecularly sieve (and thus separate) mixed gas
streams. Molecules that fit into the tiny carbon micropores are selectively removed from the input gas stream while those that are too big pass
through into the product stream. In the case of digester gas, BrightBlackTM adsorbent pellets (see Figure 1) are used in a vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) system to preferentially capture and thus remove the CO2 from the raw biogas, producing pipeline quality natural gas. In a VSA
process, molecules that are captured by the sorbent at near atmospheric pressure are removed by pulling a vacuum on the system which then
removes those molecules and regenerates the sorbent for further use. The renewable natural gas (RNG) can be utilized by the biogas producer for
power generation, as a natural gas substitute, it can be transferred to the local gas utility at premium pricing as a renewable fuel (injected into the
natural gas distribution system), or it can be made available as renewable CNG fuel for transportation applications.
ATMI, working with partners, has engineered and field tested a mobile pilot VSA system, demonstrating production of RNG from raw digester
gas. Demonstrations have occurred at a commercial beverage manufacturer as well as at two municipal wastewater treatment plants. The product
gas meets pipeline purity requirements. ATMI’s initial commercial targets are anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants. For pipeline quality renewable natural gas these digesters are preferred over landfills.
About ATMI
At ~$400M in annual revenues, Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATMI) is a leading global supplier of specialty semiconductor materials, and high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions designed to increase process efficiencies for the worldwide semiconductor,
flat-panel display, and biopharmaceutical industries. Our products consist of “front-end” semiconductor performance materials and formulated
cleaning solutions, sub-atmospheric pressure gas delivery systems for safe handling and delivery of toxic and hazardous gases, and high-purity
Precision Carbon Materials
About ATMI, continued
materials packaging and dispensing systems that allow for the reliable introduction of low volatility liquids and solids to semiconductor and flatpanel display manufacturing processes. ATMI’s proprietary single-use containment, mixing, and bioreactor technologies are sold into the
biotechnology and laboratory markets.
For over 25 years ATMI has developed products to maximize the efficiency of our customer’s manufacturing processes, minimize their time
to bring new products to market, and reduce their capital costs. ATMI is a recognized leader in bringing sustainable solutions to its customers.
Three examples: (1) ATMI’s iCleaner is the only formulated chemistry in all of semiconductor manufacturing that has been awarded the US
Environmental Protections Agency’s Design for Environment certification. (2) ATMI’s packaging solution (BrightPak™) decreases the carbon
footprint of competing materials delivery systems by over 80%. (3) ATMI’s Safe Delivery Source® (SDS) has been used on over 20 billion
semiconductor implants without any release of toxic gases, ever.
BBLK-0001-EDE-812
ATMI, Inc. • 7 Commerce Drive, Danbury, CT 06810, USA • 203. 794.1100 • www.atmi.com
© 2012 ATMI, Inc. All rights reserved. ATMI, the ATMI logo, BrightBlack, the BrightBlack logo, SDS, Safe Delivery Source and BrightPak are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced
Technology Materials, Inc. in the U.S., other countries, or both. The information contained herein is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness
and accuracy of such information, it is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. ATMI shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or
otherwise related to, this documentation. References to ATMI products or services do not imply that they will be available in all countries.