In recent years, the topic of biogas and biogas plants has gained increasing importance in the energy industry. Especially since the Ukraine conflict and the search for alternative energy sources, biogas has been increasingly brought into focus.
When delving deeper into the topic of biogas and biogas plants, one often comes across a well-established procedure: Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA), a physical process for separating gas mixtures under pressure using adsorption. Specifically, this process removes CO2 from biogas. The biogas is introduced under pressure (usually 3 bar to 5 bar) into a fixed bed reactor filled with adsorbent (activated carbon) and flows through it. In the case of biogas, the CO2, also referred to as the “heavy component”, is adsorbed. At the outlet of the fixed bed reactor, the so-called “light component”, in this case biomethane, can be extracted in concentrated form.
As a plant manufacturer for biogas upgrading plants, ETW Energietechnik GmbH from Moers has embraced this technology and further developed it for their plants. ETW's plants are built as compact units in container construction and can therefore be individually configured and expanded for every need.
A major challenge in PSA applications is the fact that they fall into the category of “high-cycle” applications, where the valves used must operate for many cycles in a very short time. In search of suitable manufacturers for such valves, ETW found Emerson Process Management GmbH & Co. OHG from Mönchengladbach. Emerson offers the K-Lok Series 36-38, precisely the shut-off valve in its portfolio to meet the requirements of a PSA application. Additionally, this shut-off valve, with its ISO 15848 certification, provides protection against fugitive emissions, which is crucial in the gas sector.
Over the past four years, a collaborative partnership has emerged between the two companies, reaching its peak in the “Taranto” project in 2023. For this project, a total of more than 200 of these high-performance shut-off valves were required. The synergy of expertise and know-how in the biogas sector, combined with the right valve for these applications, promises healthy growth in this market for the future.
