Removal of methane from ventilation air streams

Abstract

Several possibilities of removing methane from ventilation streams are presented, depending on its concentration in the stream. In the case of small concentrations of methane and the presence of other contaminants, e.g. hydrogen sulphide or ammonia in the ventilation air from the pig house, a sufficiently effective method of their removal is adsorption on carbon sorbents. The simulation of the methane absorption process in paraffinic solvents in the ChemCad program has shown that at such low concentrations, around 100 ppm or even less, this process occurs with little efficiency. Ventilation air can also be used to burn solid fuels or, for example, biogas produced in the neighbourhood of a pig house. In the case of ventilation air from hard coal mines, if the methane content reaches 1%, catalytic combustion can be successfully applied and at least partially recover combustion energy.