Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms

The reliance on greenhouse gas-emitting unrenewable energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil, increases climate change. Transitioning to renewable energy, such as biogas, is crucial to reducing environmental degradation and global warming. The existence of impurities such as hydrogen sulfid...

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Main Authors: Register Mrosso, Cleophas Achisa Mecha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:ChemEngineering
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-7084/9/2/33
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author Register Mrosso
Cleophas Achisa Mecha
author_facet Register Mrosso
Cleophas Achisa Mecha
author_sort Register Mrosso
collection DOAJ
description The reliance on greenhouse gas-emitting unrenewable energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil, increases climate change. Transitioning to renewable energy, such as biogas, is crucial to reducing environmental degradation and global warming. The existence of impurities such as hydrogen sulfide hampers the application of biogas. Utilizing natural resources for biogas purification is essential to improve access to clean energy for low-income communities. This study used soda ash derived from Lake Natron in Tanzania as a sorbent for H<sub>2</sub>S removal. Effects of sorbent mass, flow rate, and particle size were investigated. Experimental data were analyzed using kinetic models, adsorption isotherms, and breakthrough curves. Soda ash of 280 μm particle size, a flow rate of 0.03 m<sup>3</sup>/h, and a mass of 75 g demonstrated the best performance, achieving an efficiency of 94% in removal and a sorption capacity of 0.02 g per 100 g in five repeated cycles. Freundlich and Jovanovich’s isotherms match the data with n = 0.4 and K<sub>j</sub> = 0.003, respectively. Adsorption kinetics were best described by the intra-particle model (k<sub>id</sub> = 0.14, c = 0.59 mg/g, and R<sup>2</sup> = 0.972). A breakthrough analysis indicated that the Yoon–Nelson model provided the best fit with an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.95. Soda ash from Lake Natron demonstrated great potential in biogas desulphurization, thus contributing to the production and access to clean energy.
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spelling doaj-art-2f70ffcc181440f4950a55291dead1d52025-08-20T03:14:17ZengMDPI AGChemEngineering2305-70842025-03-01923310.3390/chemengineering9020033Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption IsothermsRegister Mrosso0Cleophas Achisa Mecha1Clean Energy Technologies Research Group, School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha P.O. Box 447, TanzaniaRenewable Energy, Environment, Nanomaterials, and Water Research Group, Moi University, Eldoret P.O. Box 3900, KenyaThe reliance on greenhouse gas-emitting unrenewable energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil, increases climate change. Transitioning to renewable energy, such as biogas, is crucial to reducing environmental degradation and global warming. The existence of impurities such as hydrogen sulfide hampers the application of biogas. Utilizing natural resources for biogas purification is essential to improve access to clean energy for low-income communities. This study used soda ash derived from Lake Natron in Tanzania as a sorbent for H<sub>2</sub>S removal. Effects of sorbent mass, flow rate, and particle size were investigated. Experimental data were analyzed using kinetic models, adsorption isotherms, and breakthrough curves. Soda ash of 280 μm particle size, a flow rate of 0.03 m<sup>3</sup>/h, and a mass of 75 g demonstrated the best performance, achieving an efficiency of 94% in removal and a sorption capacity of 0.02 g per 100 g in five repeated cycles. Freundlich and Jovanovich’s isotherms match the data with n = 0.4 and K<sub>j</sub> = 0.003, respectively. Adsorption kinetics were best described by the intra-particle model (k<sub>id</sub> = 0.14, c = 0.59 mg/g, and R<sup>2</sup> = 0.972). A breakthrough analysis indicated that the Yoon–Nelson model provided the best fit with an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.95. Soda ash from Lake Natron demonstrated great potential in biogas desulphurization, thus contributing to the production and access to clean energy.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-7084/9/2/33biogashydrogen sulfidefixed bed adsorption modelsadsorption isothermsadsorption kinetics
spellingShingle Register Mrosso
Cleophas Achisa Mecha
Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
ChemEngineering
biogas
hydrogen sulfide
fixed bed adsorption models
adsorption isotherms
adsorption kinetics
title Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
title_full Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
title_fullStr Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
title_full_unstemmed Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
title_short Performance Assessment of Novel Soda Ash Adsorbent Biogas Sweetening: Fixed Bed Studies, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherms
title_sort performance assessment of novel soda ash adsorbent biogas sweetening fixed bed studies adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms
topic biogas
hydrogen sulfide
fixed bed adsorption models
adsorption isotherms
adsorption kinetics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-7084/9/2/33
work_keys_str_mv AT registermrosso performanceassessmentofnovelsodaashadsorbentbiogassweeteningfixedbedstudiesadsorptionkineticsandadsorptionisotherms
AT cleophasachisamecha performanceassessmentofnovelsodaashadsorbentbiogassweeteningfixedbedstudiesadsorptionkineticsandadsorptionisotherms