Increase in Capacity at SÉMECS
SÉMECS, a center for treating organic waste through biomethanization, was initially constructed between 2016 and 2018 and began operations in March 2018 under the supervision of Biogaz EG, who was responsible for the design. SÉMECS decided to expand the facility to boost its treatment capacity from 35,000 tons per year to 120,000 tons per year. With this expansion in mind, SÉMECS recognized an opportunity to incorporate biogas recovery for producing renewable natural gas (RNG). This capacity increase not only ensures the treatment capacity of organic waste generated by municipalities on the South Shore of Montreal but also supports local energy production and aligns with Quebec’s sustainable development goals, particularly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Biogas must be purified to meet quality standards suitable for injection into the natural gas distribution network. A fast-cycle pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system was chosen over other biogas upgrading technologies. This exclusive, patented technology from Ivys Adsorption has the capacity to upgrade 2,100 Nm³/h of raw biogas and can provide a RNG with a purity of 97.5% and a recovery rate of 98.5%. AMP systems are ideal for treating biogas from organic waste because of their ability to treat contaminants (depending on concentration) such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), siloxanes and sulphur compounds, which can cause corrosion, abrasion, lubricating oil acidification, reduction in the separation capacity of adsorbents or irreversible damage to membranes.
Ivys PSA at the SÉMECS biomethanization facility at Varennes, Quebec
The facility is currently operating at 50% of its RNG production capacity and is expected to be fully operational later this year.
