Shortages of carbon dioxide have received attention in recent years. The situation has encouraged industrial gases companies that are involved in the carbon dioxide supply chain to diversify and expand their sourcing options. Biogas production, with subsequent separation of methane and purification of carbon dioxide to produce ‘green’ food-grade carbon dioxide has recently emerged as a realistic route to support this sourcing diversification strategy.
ABB have been playing a critical role to help the biogas plant operators maintain a consistent quality of product that will meet the tight food-grade specifications. The industrial gases companies that purchase carbon dioxide run extensive quality tests in their sophisticated labs. The best grades of product are used for food applications and attract the best prices. Lower grade batches are destined for industrial usage in welding gas mixtures or pH control in waste water and command lower prices. So, investment in carbon dioxide analysis and quality control is advantageous for the biogas producer to ensure that they meet the tight food grade specifications on every batch and maximize their revenue and profit.
ABB gas analyzers, such as the Uras26 and Fidas24, help carbon dioxide producers continuously monitor for low levels of carbon monoxide, total sulfur and hydrocarbons. For real-time monitoring of specific gases, ABB’s LGR-ICOS product line, based on advanced laser absorption technology, provides extraordinarily high sensitivity, accuracy, and fast response measurements of several contaminants (e.g., CO, H2S, CH4) in high purity carbon dioxide, methane and complex mixtures. This analysis allows them to pro-actively make process adjustments to optimize their operations and secure their business performance.