Sains Malaysiana 46(11)(2017): 2083-2089

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2017-4611-08

 

 Pilot Test of a Fermentation Tank for Producing Coal Methane through Anaerobic Fermentation

(Ujian Perintis Penapaian Tangki untuk Menghasilkan Arang Batu Metana melalui Penapaian Anaerob)

 

DAPING XIA^1,2,3, HUAIWEN ZHANG³, XIANBO SU^1,3*, XILE LIU³ & CHAOYONG FU³

 

¹College of Resource and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University. Jiaozuo 454000, China

 

²Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Coalbed, Methane and Shale Gas for Central Plains Economic Region, Jiaozuo 454000, China

 

³School of Energy Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo Henan 454000

China

 

Received: 3 January 2017/Accepted: 12 May 2017

 

ABSTRACT

The development and utilization of clean energy has long been a focus of research. In the coal bed methane field, most coal bed biogenic methane experiments are small static sample tests in which the initial conditions are set and the process cannot be batch-fed elements and microbial strains, and the gas cannot be collected in batches. Although significant results have been achieved in the coal-to-biogenic methane conversion in China, findings are restricted to the laboratory scale. No successful commercialization of coal bed biogenic methane production has been achieved yet. This study used a large-capacity fermentation tank (5 L) to conduct biogenic methane experiments. Results were compared to those from the traditional laboratory test. The gas production rate and gas concentration were higher when the 250 mL methane test volume was increased to a 5 L fermentation volume, increasing by 20.9% and 2.3%, respectively. The inhibition effect of the liquid phase products was reduced in the large fermentation tank, and the microbial activity was extended by batch feeding trace elements (iron and nickel) and methane strains and by semi-continuous collection of the gas. However, the gas conversion rate can be increased by retaining the H₂ and CO₂ in the intermediate gas products in the fermentation tank. The gas production rate was increased from 17.9 to 24.6 mL/g, increasing by 37.4%. The simulation pilot test can lay a foundation for the transition from a coal bed biogenic methane laboratory static small sample test to a dynamic pilot test, optimizing the process parameters to improve the reaction efficiency and move forward to commercialization test.

Keywords: Batch-fed trace elements and strains; batch gas collection; coal bed biogenic methane; pilot test

ABSTRAK

Pembangunan dan penggunaan tenaga bersih telah lama menjadi tumpuan penyelidikan. Dalam bidang lapisan batu arang metana, kebanyakan uji kaji lapisan biogen metana adalah ujian sampel statik kecil dengan syarat permulaan ditetapkan dan proses tidak boleh menjadi elemen berkelompok dan strain mikrob, serta gas tidak boleh dikumpulkan secara kelompok. Walaupun keputusan yang bagus telah dicapai dalam penukaran batu arang-kepada-biogen metana di China, namun terhad kepada skala makmal. Tiada pengeluaran secara komersial batu arang biogen metana telah dicapai. Kajian ini menggunakan tangki penapaian berkapasiti besar (5 L) untuk menjalankan uji kaji biogen metana. Keputusan dibandingkan dengan kaedah makmal tradisi. Kadar pengeluaran dan kepekatan gas adalah lebih tinggi apabila 250 mL isi padu ujian metana meningkat kepada 5 L isi padu penapaian, masing-masing sebanyak 20.9% dan 2.3%. Kesan perencatan pada produk dalam fasa cecair dikurangkan dalam tangki penapaian yang besar dan aktiviti mikrob dilanjutkan dengan pemberian berkelompok unsur surih (besi dan nikel) dan strain metana dengan pengumpulan gas secara separa selanjar. Walau bagaimanapun, kadar penukaran gas boleh dinaikkan dengan mengekalkan H₂ dan CO₂ dalam produk gas pertengahan dalam tangki penapaian. Kadar pengeluaran gas meningkat daripada 17.9 kepada 24.6 mL/g, peningkatan sebanyak 37.4%. Ujian simulasi rintis boleh meletakkan asas bagi peralihan daripada ujian lapisan batu arang biogen metana statik makmal pada sampel kecil kepada ujian rintis yang dinamik, mengoptimumkan proses parameter untuk meningkatkan kecekapan reaksi dan mara kepada ujian pengkomersialan.

Kata kunci: Koleksi kelompok gas; lapisan arang batu biogen metana; pemberian-berkelompok unsur surih dan strain; ujian rintis

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*Corresponding author; email: 1054608403@qq.com