Kinetic Study of CO₂ Adsorption in Two-Stage Biogas Purification Using Activated Natural Zeolite

Hendry Sakke Tira, Muh Samsul Arifin

Abstract


The presence of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in raw biogas reduces its combustion efficiency and poses risks to system durability. This study investigates the kinetic performance of a two-stage biogas purification system using chemically activated natural zeolite. The first stage utilized zeolite activated with 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH), while the second stage employed zeolite activated with 3 M hydrochloric acid (HCl). Experimental results demonstrated a substantial improvement in methane (CH₄) concentration from approximately 60% to 95% after purification, alongside a significant reduction in CO₂ (from 40% to 15%) and near-complete elimination of H₂S (from ~400 ppm to ~0 ppm). A three-dimensional kinetic analysis revealed that CO₂ adsorption efficiency peaked at nearly 100% within the first 60 seconds but gradually declined to around 70% at 300 seconds, indicating adsorbent saturation. The effectiveness of the dual-stage approach is attributed to the synergistic action of basic and acidic activations, which provide complementary adsorption environments for CO₂ and H₂S. These findings confirm that sequential purification using activated zeolite offers a promising, low-cost solution for enhancing biomethane quality, particularly for decentralized or small-scale applications.


Keywords


biogas upgrading, carbon dioxide adsorption, dual-stage purification, natural zeolite

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.52155/ijpsat.v50.2.7213

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