Waste to energy: Exploitation of biogas from organic waste in a 500 Wel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack

• Biogas trace compounds were monitored with the innovative PTR-MS technique.
• VOCs removal of a filter section was investigated with PTR-MS.
• The treated biogas fed a SOFC stack with stable performance for more than 400 h.

Organic waste collection from local municipal areas with subsequent energy valorization through CHP systems allows for a reduction of waste disposal in landfill. Pollutant emissions released into the atmosphere are also reduced in this way. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems are among the most promising energy generators, due to their high electrical efficiency (>50%), even at part loads. In this work, the local organic fraction of municipal solid waste has been digested in a dry anaerobic digester pilot plant and a biogas stream with methane and carbon dioxide concentrations ranging from 60–70 and 30–40% vol., respectively, has been obtained. Trace compounds from the digester and after the gas clean-up section have been detected by means of a new technique that exploits the protonation reactions between the volatile compounds of interest and the ion source. Sulfur, chlorine and siloxane compounds have been removed from as-produced biogas through the use of commercial sorbent materials, such as activated carbons impregnated with metals. A buffer gas cylinder tank has been inserted downstream from the filtering section to compensate for the biogas fluctuations from the digester. The technical feasibility of the dry anaerobic process of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, coupled with a gas cleaning section and an SOFC system, has been proved experimentally with an electrical efficiency ranging from 32 to 36% for 400 h under POx conditions.

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