Siloxane and VOC Removal Technology

Product Description

GraniteFuel’s Siloxane and VOC Removal Technology

One of the most common contaminants in a biogas stream are siloxanes and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Whether your product gas is intended for pipeline injection, or to fuel an engine or boiler, these harmful elements have to be removed.

The removal of siloxanes and VOCs is of the utmost importance in RNG applications. The membranes used to separate CO2 and CH4 are susceptible to clogging, which can alter their permeance and selectivity, and affect the final product quality. Depending on the specific VOCs present in the gas, this phenomenon can either be temporary (reversible) or permanent (irreversible). GraniteFuel has studied these effects and we use the results to inform decisions about pre-treatment technologies.

Temporary membrane clogging can result in a significant loss of revenue through the production of off-spec RNG. Permanent clogging is more serious because the membranes represent a significant portion of the overall upgrading system cost, being expensive to replace. Our VOC & Siloxane removal technology removes harmful contaminants, thereby ensuring that you generate methane-rich RNG and avoid expensive replacements.

The GraniteFuel Solution

GraniteFuel’s advanced temperature swing adsorption (TSA) system was originally developed to protect engines from siloxane damage. As the biogas market evolved into RNG production, we turned to this TSA technology for a siloxane and VOC reduction system that could effectively protect CO2/CH4 membranes and comply with injection pipeline specification. This adsorption technology is suitable for decontaminating biogas from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), landfill sites, organics diversion digesters, and biogas produced from agricultural biomass. GraniteFuel’s system is the most efficient on the market, allowing our customers to reduce operating costs by 30%–50% compared to traditional carbon media technology.

How Does GraniteFuel’s Siloxane Removal System Work?

Gas enters one of two vessels where the VOCs and siloxanes are adsorbed onto a proprietary polymer media from the gas stream. At an adjustable regeneration interval, the incoming gas is redirected to the second vessel and the media in the first vessel is regenerated, allowing for uninterrupted operation. Fully automated controls monitor the system throughout the process, providing operator-less intervention.

Custom-Engineered Siloxane Solutions

As well as complete GraniteFuel biogas upgrading systems, we also build individual solutions. Our siloxane removal systems are custom-built to meet your project and location specifications. We ensure that they integrate seamlessly with your existing equipment, or with a combination of GraniteFuel-supplied gas treatment solutions. Our systems are modular, providing numerous configuration options. This flexibility allows for future capacity expansion, without changing the original system footprint. All our systems are pre-wired and hot-tested in the GraniteFuel fabrication facility, reducing commissioning timelines to a matter of days, and greatly minimizing installation costs and engine downtime.

Contact the GraniteFuel team today or explore our other solutions to discover more about how we help with issues like chilling and dehydration, CO2/CH4 membrane separation and fuel blending. To help you meet strict sustainability standards, we also offer integrated emissions control solutions.