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Procedia138 (2017) 000–000
00 (2017) 273–277
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2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
2017 AEDCEE, 25‐26 May 2017, Bangkok, Thailand

Comparison of Bio-Methane
The 15th International Gas Wobbe
Symposium on District Heating andIndex
Cooling
In Different Animal Manure Substrate
Assessing the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor
temperature function for a,a*,long-term
Nattadon Pannucharoenwong district
Atichit Worasaen b
heat
, Chatchai demand forecast
Benjapiyaporn b,c
,
Jarinee Jongpluempitid and Ponthep Vengsungnled
d d

I. Andrića,b,c*, A. Pinaa, P. Ferrãoa, J. Fournierb., B. Lacarrièrec, O. Le Correc

aa
Department
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University, Thailand 12120
a b
IN+ Center forbDepartment
Innovation, of Technology
Mechanicaland Policy Research
Engineering, - Instituto
Faculty SuperiorKhon
of Engineering, Técnico,
KaenAv.University,
Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001
Thailand 40002 Lisbon, Portugal
cc b
Veolia
Energy Recherche
Management & Conservation
and Innovation, 291 Avenue
Office Dreyfous
(EMCO), Daniel,
Ministry 78520 Limay,
of Energy, France
Thailand 40002
c dd
Département Systèmes of
Department Énergétiques
AgriculturaletMachinery
Environnement - IMT Atlantique,
Engineering, Faculty of 4Engineering
rue Alfred Kastler, 44300 Nantes, France
and Architecture,
Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Thailand 30000

Abstract
Abstract

The objective
District of this
heating research
networks arewas to evaluate
commonly the Wobbe
addressed in theIndex (WI). as
literature Which Wobbe
one of the mostindexeffective
can indicate a relation
solutions between gas
for decreasing the
injector
greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through (KKU)
burners with gas properties. By gas product from a compressed bio-methane gas plant at Khon Kaen University the heat
was used
sales. for to
Due thisthe
project. There
changed different
climate substrateand
conditions werebuilding
used. They were pigpolicies,
renovation manure, heat
hen manure
demandand in pig
the manure
future blend
could with hen
decrease,
manure. Thethe
prolonging result from thereturn
investment studyperiod.
revealed that the average heating value. In this experiment, an average heating value of CBG
from
The pig
main manure
scope was 31.85
of this MJ/Nm³,
paper hen manure
is to assess was 31.04
the feasibility MJ/Nm
of using the33 and
heatpig manure
demand blended temperature
– outdoor with hen manure was for
function 31.24
heatMJ/Nm
demand 33

and the specific gravity of CBG at 0 °C 1-atmosphere pressure in pig manure was 0.67 kg/m 33, hen manure was 0.69 kg/m33, pig
forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665
33
manure
buildingsblended withinhen
that vary manure
both was 0.68
construction kg/mand
period . The CBG had
typology. Wobbe
Three indexscenarios
weather from pig(low,
manure hen manure
medium, and three
high) and pig manure
district
blended withscenarios
hen manure wasdeveloped
38.92, 37.36, 37.88 MJ/Nm 33 respectively.
renovation were (shallow, intermediate, deep). To This was above
estimate the standard
the error, of the
obtained heatnatural
demandgasvalues
qualitywere
for
the vehicle by
compared withtheresults
Department
from aof Energyheat
dynamic Business,
demand Ministry
model,ofpreviously
Energy, Thailand (requirement
developed and validatedof Wobbe index in 37- 42 MJ/Nm33).
by the authors.
The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications
©(the
© 2017
2017 The
TheinAuthors.
error annual Published
Authors. Publishedwas
demand by
by Elsevier
Elsevier
lower Ltd.
Ltd.
than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in
scenarios, the
Peer-review error value increased upOrganizing
to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered).
­Developing Countries and Emerging Economies. Committee of 2017 AEDCEE.
under responsibility of the
The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the
decrease Wobbe
Keywords: in the Index;
number Biomethane
of heating Gas; Biogas
hours of Upgrading;
22-139h duringBio-Methane; ASTM-D1945;
the heating UNE-EN ISO-6976
season (depending on the combination of weather and
renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the
coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and
improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations.

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under
* Corresponding responsibility
author. of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and
Tel.:+6-699-462-5241
E-mail address: pnattado@engr.tu.ac.th
Cooling.

Keywords: Heat demand; Forecast; Climate change

1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2017 AEDCEE.

1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2017 International Conference on Alternative Energy in
­Developing Countries and Emerging Economies.
10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.056
274 Nattadon Pannucharoenwong et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 273–277
Nattadon Pannucharoenwong, Atichit Worasaena et at./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 2

1. Introduction

Energy is important for developing countries. Currently, energy consumption in Thailand is increasing every year
[1] because of deficiency of energy. Therefore, import of energy such as power and crude oil from nearby countries is
crucial. Renewable energy is important for decreasing energy import from other countries.
In Thailand, biogas resources are from waste water in industries and livestock manure from agriculture which have
the potential of 7,800 and 13,000 TJ/year [2]. Thailand has a lot of waste from agriculture because most occupation in
Thailand is an agriculture. with 34% of the households working in agriculture and 93% of them located in rural areas.
The major activities of agriculture in Thailand are the cultivation and the minor activities in Thailand are farming [3].
Accordingly, waste from agriculture is used research on renewable energy such as combustion in furnace fermentation
and distillation for bioethanol production, even, digestion for biogas production.
Biogas has a lot of methane, it’s contains about 40-70% methane and lower heating value is between 15 and 30
MJ/Nm3 [2]. Currently, Khon Kaen University (KKU), Thailand has waste from farming with a 5 m3/day of pig
manure and 10 m3/day of hen manure from the Faculty of Agricultural. Accordingly, the manure from pig farm and
hen farm are used as feedstock for biogas production by anaerobic co-digestor in CSTR digestor.
Biogas from the anaerobic process lead to upgrading process for the removal of carbondioxide, hydrogensulfide,
ammonia, moisture and in particular, for upgrading biogas to biomethane as more than 83% of methane in biogas is
compressed at high pressure (200 barg) called compressed biomethane gas (CBG). CBG production from this process
is used as fuel for shuttle bus in Khon Kaen University (KKU).
Wobbe index is an indicator of the interchangeability of fuel gases such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG), and town gas, It is frequently defined in the specifications of gas supply and transport utilities. The Wobbe
Index is used to compare the combustion energy output of different composition of fuel gases in appliance. If two fuels
have identical Wobbe Indices, then for a given pressure and valve settings, the energy output will also be identical.
Typically variations of up to 5% are allowed as these would not be noticeable to the consumer [4]. Consequently, the
objective of this research was to compare the Wobbe index from three difference substrate in anaerobic digestion
process with the same conditions. The first substrate was pig manure, the second substrate was hen manure and the
third substrate was a combination of pig manure and hen manure from CBG plant at Khon Kaen University (KKU).

2. Methods

2.1. Reactor and process designed

In this study, a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was used for the experiment in actual scale and design
parameter as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Reactor and parameter designed

CSTR Reactor Quantity Unit
CH4 (estimate) 50 %
Reactor volume 500 m3
Biogas quantity 260 m3/day
Efficiency 70 %
Feedstock quantity 15 m /day
3

COD not less than 72,000 mg/l

Design parameter Quantity Unit
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 18,000 mg/l
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 9,000 mg/l
pH 6-7
Total Solid (TS) 6,860 mg/l
Volatile Solid (VS) 4,800 mg/l
 Nattadon Pannucharoenwong et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 273–277 275
Nattadon Pannucharoenwong, Atichit Worasaena et at./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 3

2.2. Characteristic of substrate

The characteristic were considered in 8 parameters in 3 different substrates, there are pH, COD, BOD, TS, VS,
Total Carbon, Total nitrogen and C/N ratio respectively, is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Characteristic of the three different substrate

Substrate
Parameter Unit
Pig manure Hen manure Combine
pH 6.9 6.6 6.6
Chemical Oxygen Demand 12,560 9,957 10,118 mg/l
(COD)
Biochemical Oxygen Demand 8,695 5,866 6,742 mg/l
(BOD)
Total Solid (TS) 26.1 22.7 23.1 % fresh weight
Volatile Solid (VS) 21.4 19.4 19.6 % fresh weight
Total carbon 28.65 33.27 32.39 %
Total nitrogen 2.27 2.99 2.85 %
C/N Ratio 12.62 11.14 11.36 -

2.3. Biogas upgrading process

Biogas production from digestion process was from the compressor to gas dryer1 to reduce moisture. Then sent to
H2S removal tank, filter tank to reduce H2S and particular. After that, the biogas was stored in the biogas tank. From
have it was passed through the gas dryer 2 and heater membrane to reduce moisture and reduce CO2 respectively. The
polymeric membrane is economically competitive in separating CO2 and H2S from the biogas as compared to
conventional technologies in both capital and operating cost [5]. At this stage biogas containing up to 83 %CH4 was
passed through bio-methane tank and was compressed at 200 barg, after that the upgraded biogas in the form of
compressed bio-methane gas (CBG). This process is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig.1. Biogas upgrading to CBG process

2.4. Analytical methods

Approximately 0.8 liters of bio-methane gas from the different substrate in the bio-methane tank with gas collector
bags were taken as a sample for determining the composition of the bio-methane gas in the laboratory. The
characteristic which is necessary for the analysis of the selected technology was determined in accordance with the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM-D1945) by gas chromatography and Wobbe index calculation
following UNE-EN ISO-6976.
276 Nattadon Pannucharoenwong et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 273–277
Nattadon Pannucharoenwong, Atichit Worasaena et at./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 4

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Bio-methane composition and Wobbe index

Bio-methane production from three different substrates was studied in the same condition in the CSTR digester in
actual scale and at the same of Temperature (38-40°C) to determine HRT for 15 days. The process was continuously
monitored and stabilized.
Bio-methane composition from pig manure digestion contained CH4, CO2, O2, H2S, NH3 in these properties 86.08%,
10.79%, 1.1%, 0.02 ppm, <0.01 ppm respectively. Therefore, the high heating value was 31.86 MJ/Nm3 and specific
gravity was 0.67 kg/m3. Wobbe index of bio-methane from pig manure substrate was 38.92 MJ/Nm3.
Bio-methane composition from hen manure digestion was contained CH4, CO2, O2, H2S, NH3 in these properties
83.87%, 12.59%, 1.5%, 0.03 ppm, <0.01 ppm respectively. Therefore, the high heating value was 31.04 MJ/Nm3 and
specific gravity was 0.69 kg/m3. Wobbe index of bio-methane from pig manure substrate was 37.36 MJ/Nm3.
Bio-methane composition from pig manure and hen manure in co-digestion was contained CH4, CO2, O2, H2S, NH3
in these properties 84.41%, 11.95, 1.6%, 0.03 ppm, <0.01 ppm respectively. Therefore, the high heating value is 31.24
MJ/Nm3 and specific gravity was 0.68 kg/m3. Wobbe index of bio-methane from pig manure substrate was 37.88
MJ/Nm3.

3.2. Comparison of Wobbe index in various substrate

Wobbe index from the experiment in three difference substrate comparison with Wobbe index standard from
natural gas quality for vehicle standards by the Department of Energy Business, Ministry of Energy, Thailand [6] is
shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Wobbe index Comparison in various substrate with standard

4. Conclusions

Compressed bio-methane gas can increase energy supply, and it’s good for farming waste management. The bio-
methane gas experiment in anaerobic digestion in actual scale CSRT tank was operated in the same condition. The
result obtained revealed that the best substrate for high Wobbe index bio-methane gas is pig manure, it had a Wobbe
index of 38.91 MJ/Nm3, followed by hen manure 37.36 MJ/Nm3 and pig manure blend with hen manure, 37.88
MJ/Nm3. According to natural gas quality for vehicle standards by the Department of Energy Business, Ministry of
Energy, Thailand the required heating value is 37- 42 MJ/Nm3 [6]. The Wobbe index quality of bio-methane gas in
this study revealed that it is suitable to use in gas engine vehicles.
 Nattadon Pannucharoenwong et al. / Energy Procedia 138 (2017) 273–277 277
Nattadon Pannucharoenwong, Atichit Worasaena et at./ Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 5

Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to thank the Energy Management and Conservation Office (KKU – EMCO), Ministry
of Energy Thailand which supported us with the funds for this study. We would also like to express our gratitude to
the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of Khon Kaen University, Department of
Agricultural Machinery Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Rajamangala University of
Technology Isan and Department of Automotive Engineering of Thammasat University for all of their support given
to this research.

References

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[2] Tippayawong N,Thanompongchart P., Biogas quality upgrade by simultaneous removal of CO2 and H2S in a packed column reactor. Energy 35
(2010). p 4531-4535
[3] Dussadee N, Reansuwan K, Ramaraj R., Potential development of compressed bio-methane gas production from pig farms and elephant grass
silage for transportation in Thailand. Bioresource Technology 155 (2014). p.438-441
[4] Ranga Dinesh K.K.J, Jiang X, Van Oijen J.A., Hydrogen-enriched non-premixed jet flames: Analysis of the flame surface, flame normal, flame
index and Wobbe index. International journal of Hydrogen energy 39(2014). p.6753-6763
[5] Molino A, Nanna F, Ding Y. et al. Bio-meathane production by anaerobic digestion of organic waste. Fuel 103(20113). p.1003-1009
[6] Department of Energy Business, Ministry of Energy. Thailand. http://doeb.go.th2016. [accessed 2017-04-03].