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The Technical And Economic Feasibility Of Producing Methane From Biomass Using A Leaching-Bed/Packed-Bed Conversion Process, Steven W. Hinton

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The economic feasibility and energy effectiveness of producing pipeline quality methane gas from biomass was assessed for a new and totally unproven process. The biomass feedstock considered was the common aquatic weed water hyacinth and a novel active boom-winch harvesting system is proposed for its collection. The conversion process analyzed is a two stage biological process which utilizes a leaching-bed for the production of volatile acids and a packed-bed for the production of methane gas. In order to determine the feasibility of the proposed process equipment requirements, capital costs and operating/maintenance costs were developed for three system sizes. This data …