Asahi Kasei holds opening ceremony for novel biogas upgrading system
In Japan, Asahi Kasei Corporation, a global developer of fiber products, chemicals, and electronics-related materials, and Kurashiki City have held a grand opening ceremony for a novel biogas upgrading system being trialed in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.
Asahi Kasei and Kurashiki City concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement for the realization of carbon neutrality in society on September 15, 2022.
Advancing the demonstration trial for decarbonization is one of the provisions of the partnership.
Zeolite PVSA technology
The biogas upgrading system uses Asahi Kasei’s carbon dioxide (CO2) separation/recovery technology utilizing zeolites and is installed at the Kojima Sewage Treatment Plant.
The upgrading system separates CO2 and methane from biogas using the optimum combination of a special zeolite as an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs CO2 and a special pressure vacuum swing adsorption (PVSA) process technology.
The zeolite is a crystalline aluminosilicate having regular channels (pores) controlled on the order of angstroms (ten-millionths of a millimeter) and cavities (voids) with a specific surface area exceeding several hundred square meters per gram.
Asahi Kasei’s PVSA process technology, which separates specific gases by changes in pressure, enables the removal of CO2 from the raw biogas to refine high-purity methane gas (biomethane aka renewable natural gas – RNG) at a high recovery rate.
Biogas from sewage sludge, garbage, anaerobic digesters, etc consists of approximately 60 percent methane and 40 percent CO2.
While the local use of biogas as a carbon-neutral fuel for heat and/or power is rapidly expanding, upgrading it into biomethane means it can be injected into a natural gas grid for distribution as done in Europe and the United States.
In Kurashiki City, electricity is generated using biogas derived from sewage sludge at the Kojima Sewage Treatment Plant. The upgrading system will use a portion of this biogas for the demonstration trial.
Furthermore, if the CO2 separated by this upgrading system is utilized and/or sequestered, carbon capture, utilization, and/or storage (CCUS) can be achieved.
Commercialization expected in 2027
In the demonstration trial, the separated methane is returned and used as fuel to generate electricity for effective utilization of the biogas.
The demonstration trial at the Kojima Sewage Treatment Plant began in February 2025.
Asahi Kasei is responsible for the design, installation, and operation of the upgrading system, as well as evaluating and demonstrating its performance, while Kurashiki City supplies biogas generated from sewage sludge in addition to providing the site for the trial.
Commercialization of the novel zeolite PVSA biogas upgrading system is expected around 2027 following additional trials in countries or regions where biogas upgrading is performed.
We are excited to start the on-site demonstration trial of a biogas purification system using Asahi Kasei’s zeolite and PVSA process technology. As the next step, by expanding co-creation partnerships globally, we will accelerate the advancement and practical implementation of this outstanding technology that can reduce environmental impacts, contributing to sustainability for the world, said Osamu Matsuzaki, Senior Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei and Senior General Manager of Corporate Research & Development.
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