Investigation of the operating conditions for a full-scale plant for hydrogen production from biomass

In this study, we analyzed the system configuration and operating conditions for a full-scale plant for hydrogen (H₂) production from biomass. We considered pretreatment and upgrade processes for generating pure biomethane and the steam methane reforming reaction for H₂ production. The pretreatment of biogas occurs under atmospheric conditions and produces methane and carbon dioxide while capturing various toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide. After the upgrade process, biomethane with a purity of 98 % is generated via a pressure swing adsorption and membrane separation system. The pure biomethane is then transported to the H₂ production facilities and converted to H₂ gas via steam methane reforming, thereby producing highly pure H₂ (99.995 %). The full-scale plant can produce over 300 kg of H₂ per day with an operating efficiency of over 90 %. The findings from this study can help further the understanding of the operating conditions and system configuration for a full-scale plant for H₂ production plant from biomass.