Oklahoma biogas facility upgraded to produce renewable natural gas

High Plains Bioenergy (HPB), Shawnee Mission, Kansas, a subsidiary of Shawnee Mission, Kansas-based Seaboard Foods, recently announced plans to upgrade its anaerobic digestion-derived biogas to renewable natural gas using an Essen, Germany-based Carbotech pressure swing adsorption system from Bioferm Energy Systems/Viessmann Group, Madison, Wisconsin.

Located in Guymon, Oklahoma, HPB’s facility currently fuels boilers with the biogas created from the anaerobic digestion of food processing pork waste, but has identified gas upgrading and natural gas grid injection as a better alternative biogas end-use to enable the highest possible return.

“One strategic element of our business model is an emphasis on identifying opportunities which result in economic as well as environmental benefits through the use of Seaboard Foods’ various waste streams. After a long and comprehensive vetting process, we have decided to partner with Bioferm on this project. Their commitment to cutting-edge technology and unmatched output gas specifications were among the many reasons for our decision,” says Gene Binder, director of sales and business development at HPB.

Bioferm’s installation in Guymon will consist of a complete, integrated gas upgrading system—from biogas filtration, to biogas compression, through upgrading to natural gas pipeline quality requirements and treatment of off gas—including a performance guarantee and comprehensive control system for the whole package.

Additionally, the selected Carbotech Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology provides the market’s lowest operating costs compared to other gas upgrading systems.

HPB’s dedication to clean energy, fuel and waste management alternatives from and for Seaboard Foods’ operations helps promote sustainable food systems and communities. Aiding these efforts, their new BUP2000 gas upgrading system will annually produce 440 million standard cubic feet (scf) of renewable natural gas (RNG) for grid injection at full capacity—equivalent to 3,371,544 gas gallon equivalent’s (GGE) per year and displacing the gasoline usage for approximately 6,743 cars.

“Seaboard Foods and High Plains Bioenergy showcase an unparalleled industry model for sustainability through their commitment to renewables. We at Bioferm Energy Systems are excited in working with such a professional team to help create the best value for their biogas in the form of clean RNG fuel by deploying a complete state-of the-art gas upgrading system,” says Nadeem Afghan, president and CEO of Bioferm Energy Systems.

Once finished, HPB‘s Carbotech PSA upgrading system will have a raw biogas processing capacity of 1200 scf per minute and an expected product gas composition with  almost 96 percent methane despite the high oxygen and nitrogen portion in the raw gas.

Key features of Carbotech PSA include:

• turnkey system offerings with all necessary upgrading components;
• capable of meeting stringent pipeline requirements;
• removes oxygen from the gas;
• removes nitrogen from the gas;
• use no chemicals and minimal process water for desulphurization;
• capable of handling high-nitrogen gas;
• in-house volatile organic compound (VOC) removal technology;
• high methane yield and no increased methane losses over time;
• low operating costs and system efficiency;
• modular approach; and
• technology emphasis on high processing efficiency.