DOI : https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.15.3.20712

Analysis of Flow Rate and Concentration of Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) in the Biogas Purification Using Absorption Column with Pall Ring Packing

Leila Kalsum (1), Rusdianasari (2), Abu Hasan (3)
(1) Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Palembang, Indonesia
(2) Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Palembang, Indonesia
(3) Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Palembang, Indonesia
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L. Kalsum, Rusdianasari, and Abu Hasan, “Analysis of Flow Rate and Concentration of Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) in the Biogas Purification Using Absorption Column with Pall Ring Packing”, Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng. Inf. Technol., vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 991–996, Jun. 2025.
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The usage of energy derived from fossil sources can contribute to increasing greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). One of the alternative energy sources with high potential for development in Indonesia is biogas. Animal waste can be processed into biogas using anaerobic digestion technology. This research aims to develop science in the use of biogas from cow dung as a renewable energy source. The study focuses on analyzing the flow rate and concentration of Mono Ethanol Amine (MEA) in the absorption column. The first stage in this research is to produce biogas from cow dung using a fixed dome type biodigester with a COD content of 33,438 mg/L, TSS of 25,000 mg/L, a C/N ratio of 16.1, and a pH of 6.7. Fermentation in the biodigester is carried out for 30 days, and the biogas produced is analyzed every 5 days. At the highest methane content of biogas yield, the next stage is to purify the biogas from impurities using an absorption column. This absorber uses pall ring-type packings made of plastic with dimensions 1 x 1,5 cm. The biogas flow rate into the column is 0.5 L/min, and the absorbent solution flow rate is varied at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 L/min, and the MEA concentration is varied at 1 M, 3M, 5M, and 7 M. The result showed that the optimal flow rate of the absorbent solution was 0.5 L/min, and the optimal concentration of the absorbent solution was 1 M. These conditions resulted in the CH4 content of methane gas increasing from 55.27% to 85.84%. The findings of this study support the use of absorbent MEA in a packing column absorber for purifying biogas from cow dung.

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