Demo Trial Asahi Kasei to Develop Biogas Purification System at Sewage Treatment Plant

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Asahi Kasei has partnered with Kurashiki City to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of a biogas purification system at a sewage treatment plant in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. The system is expected to refine high-purity methane gas by removing CO2 from biogas utilizing Asahi Kasei’s newly developed adsorbent, which selectively adsorbs CO2.

Tokyo/Japan – Asahi Kasei and Kurashiki City recently concluded an agreement to hold a trial to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of a biogas purification system (the System) at a sewage treatment plant in the city. The Mizushima Works of Asahi Kasei’s Production Center and Kurashiki City also concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement for the realization of carbon neutrality in the society. Advancing the demonstration trial for decarbonization is one of the provisions of the partnership.

The System refines high-purity methane gas (biomethane) by removing CO2 from biogas utilizing Asahi Kasei’s newly developed adsorbent, K-Gis zeolite, which selectively adsorbs CO2. Unlike conventional adsorbents which adsorb methane together with CO2, K-Gis zeolite adsorbs almost no methane. This enables the System to efficiently separate and recover high-purity methane while recovering high-purity CO2.

Biogas from sewage sludge, garbage, etc., consists of approximately 60 % methane and 40 % CO2. While the use of biogas as a carbon-neutral fuel is rapidly expanding, it is also a source of biomethane as a substitute for natural gas in Europe and the U.S.

In Kurashiki City, electricity is generated using biogas derived from sewage sludge at the Kojima Sewage Treatment Plant. The System will use a portion of this biogas for the demonstration trial. If biomethane production using the System is combined with carbon capture and utilization or storage (CCUS), the cycle would be carbon negative. In the demonstration trial, the separated gases are recombined to biogas as fuel for generating electricity.

Roles of participants

• Asahi Kasei will design, install, and operate the System, and evaluate and demonstrate its performance

• Kurashiki City will provide biogas generated from sewage sludge and the site for the demonstration trial

Commercializion of the System is expected around 2025 or 2026 following additional trials in countries or regions where biogas purification is performed. The technology will also be applied to CO2 separation and recovery from gases other than biogas. It is expected that commercialization of the CO2 adsorbent and the biogas purification system based on original technology will help society to effectively utilize clean environmental energy.

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