Presenter: Neal E. Megonnell, ATMI, Danbury, CT
Coauthors: Shaun M. Wilson, Melissa A. Petruska, J. D.
Carruthers, and Edward A. Sturm, ATMI, Danbury, CT;
Aaron Primmer, MV LLC, Golden, CO
Typical commercial brewing processes consume vast amounts
of water for the production of beer and spirits. As regulations
around disposal and treatment of wastewater become more
stringent and energy costs continue to rise, there is a need for
small and large breweries alike to examine the entire lifecycle
of the raw materials used in their manufacturing processes. One
area that has the potential to both reduce strain on municipal
water treatment plants and provide an additional revenue stream
for breweries is the anaerobic digestion of process wastewater
and surplus yeast to produce biogas. The composition of
this biogas is primarily methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide
(CO2), with other components present depending upon the
specific source. In order to utilize biogas as a replacement
for natural gas, it typically must be upgraded to 0–3% CO2
with specific restrictions and requirements dependent upon
utility company guidelines and local regulations. To this end,
ATMI has developed BrightBlack carbon, a molecular sieve
material based on polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), which
has the ability to selectively capture CO2 from a biogas stream
with minimal sacrifice to overall CH4 production. ATMI
and MV LLC have field tested a mobile pilot-scale vacuum
swing adsorption (VSA) system at a commercial beverage
manufacturer and two municipal wastewater treatment plants
in the United States. The product gas produced during these
field trials was found to meet pipeline and/or vehicle fuel purity
requirements for CO2, while maintaining CH4 product yields
of ≥85%. The results of this field testing and the BrightBlack
adsorbent characteristics will be discussed.
Neal Megonnell is director of platform marketing for ATMI.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University
of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in chemical engineering
and colloids, polymers, and surfaces from Carnegie Mellon
University. He has over 20 years of experience in the activated
carbon industry, has published many articles in various
trade journals and industry publications, and holds two
patents related to activated carbon. He is currently a member
of the ASTM D-28 Activated Carbon Committee, as well
as the American Water Works Association B604 Activated
Carbon Committee. He can be reached by telephone at
+1.203.241.4511 or e-mail at nmegonnell@atmi.com.
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