South Korean fuel cell manufacturer Doosan Fuel Cell has signed an agreement with compatriot Korea Western Power Co. and KEPCO Engineering & Construction Company to develop technology that directly injects pure biogas from unused biogas into hydrogen fuel cells.
As informed, the fuel cell manufacturer will supply the main equipment for the project. On the other hand, Korea Western Power Co. and KEPCO Engineering & Construction Company are in charge of the design development and the construction of the equipment.
Biogas is an energy-rich gas produced by anaerobic decomposition or thermochemical conversion of biomass. It can be collected from solid waste landfills and livestock manure holding ponds and consists of methane (CH4), the same compound in natural gas, and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Biogas can be burned directly as a fuel or treated to remove the CO2 and other gases for use just like natural gas. Treated biogas may be called renewable natural gas or biomethane.
“By concentrating methane in biogas and capturing carbon dioxide, it can be used as natural gas, but additional time and cost are invested in the processing process. It is expected that this will lead to a new business model,” according to Doosan Fuel Cell.
This March, the company partnered with local shipbuilder Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) to jointly develop eco-friendly solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for ships. Under the deal, Doosan Fuel Cell will design and produce fuel cells, while KSOE will develop technologies to integrate fuel cells on board vessels.
Doosan decided to develop a Korean-style high-efficiency SOFC in October last year and plans commercial production of the system from 2024 as part of a Korean government project. The new projects are in line with the firm’s energy transition strategy.