Issue 6, 2018

Monitoring of gas composition in a laboratory biogas plant using cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

Biogas production from organic raw materials is a highly complex biotechnological process. The responsible anaerobic fermentation process is difficult to measure due to its multi-stage nature. Still, optimization of biogas production and the development of robust and efficient process management strategies require continually updated information about the process. Hence, the development of a comprehensive sensor system with high temporal resolution is key to further advancement in biogas technology. Here, we demonstrate a gas sensor based on cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy for biogas monitoring. Online detection of all gas components of a biogas mixture enables a comprehensive quantification. In addition, robust calibration routines facilitate the adaptation of the sensor for biogas monitoring. A simulated concentration course of a typical fermentation process with defined gas mixtures consisting of CH4, CO2, N2, O2 and H2 showed reliable results for all relevant biogas components for varying concentration ranges from ppm to 100 vol%. The response time of 5 seconds allows online detection and – as a consequence – real time information is obtained about the biogas composition. A laboratory biogas reactor was designed to operate biogas production on a miniaturized scale and analyze it using the Raman gas sensor. The developed sensor enables the observation of methane production throughout the first 24 h of the fermentation process. The obtained results show the suitability of cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy as a gas sensor to monitor the entire process of biogas production. As this strategy would allow the process to be manipulated and optimized according to the current state, it is of great biotechnological interest.

Graphical abstract: Monitoring of gas composition in a laboratory biogas plant using cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 Oct 2017
Accepted
10 Dec 2017
First published
02 Jan 2018

Analyst, 2018,143, 1358-1366

Monitoring of gas composition in a laboratory biogas plant using cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy

A. Sieburg, S. Schneider, D. Yan, J. Popp and T. Frosch, Analyst, 2018, 143, 1358 DOI: 10.1039/C7AN01689A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements