An Analytical Design Model of a Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption Process for Biogas Upgrading

ABSTRACT An analytical plant design model was developed to describe the quasi‐stationary state of vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) process for upgrading biogas (CO 2 and CH 4 ) to biomethane (CH 4 ). A reduced VPSA cycle comprising the steps adsorption, depressurization, and evacuation was considered, using a model biogas with 50% CO 2 in 50% CH 4 . The mass balance for the gas phase was formulated using a simplified advection‐reaction approach and for the solid phase using the Linear Driving Force (LDF) model. The steady‐state model serves as a basis for process design and optimization, allowing the determination of the required bed height as a function of the target product purity.