MT-BioMethan completed commissioning of gas upgrading plant

CO2 delivery to methanation in preparation
The biogas upgrading plant of Audi e-gas is ready to start its test run. For the first time and only one week after the official opening ceremony of the Power-to-gas plant on June 25th, upgraded biogas generated in the waste biogas plant of the EWE VERTRIEB GmbH has been fed into the grid of EWE NETZ GmbH by means of MT-Amine Scrubbing. With this, an important milestone in the overall project could be completed. This project – presently, the first of its kind world-wide – aims to feed in synthetic natural gas of industrial standard from the Power-to-gas plant into the gas grid. The automobile manufacturer will offer this gas as climate-neutral fuel for natural gas-powered vehicles designed by Audi.

In the preliminary stages of the first feed-in of biomethane, numerous/sub-projects have been successfully commissioned: the biogas injection plant, the gas transport unit with drying system, the amine scrubbing and the generating unit for process heat with the corresponding heat management for the entire plant. “With this we have created stable basic conditions to initiate the second step of the commissioning of the e-gas plant” Dr Karsten Wünsche, Managing Director of MT-BioMethan GmbH, sums up the latest results of this trend-setting project.

Gas upgrading plant with MT amine scrubbing in Werlte (Germany)Photo by Audi AG

Furthermore, for the first time carbon dioxide (CO2) was delivered to the e-gas plant of AUDI AG. This by-product is generated during the biomethane production and is needed for the methanation. In this process the CO2 is added to the hydrogen which is produced in the electrolyser and converted into synthetic natural gas.

For the biogas upgrading and thus for the provision of CO2, the heat-led method of the pressureless amine scrubbing by MT-BioMethan is applied. For the recovery of the scrubbing solution the waste heat of the methanation reactor is used which, at the same time, improves the efficiency of the entire plant. The first feed-in of biomethane also created the preconditions for the continuing CO2 supply and the reutilisation of the methanation waste heat.

Ceremonial plant inauguration

At the end of June, Audi presented the project to invited guests consisting of representatives from politics and economy as well as media representatives and business partners. In a video message the Federal Minister for the Environment Peter Altmaier acknowledged the potential of this technology in the mobility sector and the commitment of the involved project partners. After the symbolic opening ceremony, experts of the respective project partners presented the individual components to the guests in the course of a viewing. This included the gas upgrading using amine scrubbing as well as the highly complex heat management of MT-BioMethan.

For further information visit www.mt-biomethan.com

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