Preliminary Examination of the Biogas-to-Hydrogen Conversion Process

Abstract

Biogas is a promising energy source for sustainable hydrogen production due to its high concentration of CH4. However, determining the optimal process configuration is challenging due to the uncertainty of the fed biogas composition and the sensitivity of the operating conditions. This necessitates early-stage evaluation of the biomass-to-hydrogen process's performance, considering economics, energy efficiency, and environmental impacts. A data-driven model was introduced for early-stage assessment of hydrogen production from biogas without whole process simulation and optimization. The model was developed based on various biogas compositions and generated parameters for mass and energy balance. A database of unit processes was created using simulation models. Sensitivity analysis was performed under four techno-economic and environmental evaluation criteria: Unit Production Cost (UPC), Energy Efficiency (EEF), Net CO2 equivalent Emission (NCE), and Maximum H2 Production (MHP). The early-stage evaluation of the biogas-to-hydrogen process can guide the establishment of biogas utilization strategies and propose effective biogas enhancement process development solutions to respond to market disturbances.