International Journal of Mathematical, Engineering and Management Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1, 17–27, 2018 https://dx.doi.org/10.33889/IJMEMS.2018.3.1-003 17 Performance Evaluation of Design AD System Biogas Purification Filter Ejiroghene Kelly Orhorhoro 1* , Oghenero Wilson Orhorhoro 2 , Eruero Victor Atumah 2 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Benin, Nigeria 2 Faculty of Engineering, Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Nigeria * Corresponding author: ejiroghene.orhorhoro@eng.uniben.edu, kelecom@yahoo.com (Received October 21, 2016; Accepted December 2, 2016) Abstract Biogas purification which is the removal of impurities so as to improve the efficiency of gas produced, ensure the safety of end users and prolong the life of the equipment cannot be neglected. This paper is focused on the design and performance evaluation of AD system biogas purification filter. Three different conceptual designs were generated from possible design consideration, feasibility study and preliminary test and with the help of decision matrix; the best conceptual design was selected from which the purification filter was fabricated. The selected concept for detail design was a transparent polyethene cylindrical purification filter fitted with local iron sponge containing activated charcoal and local potash. The reagents were arranged in this order; local potash for the removal of water vapour and carbon dioxide followed by activated charcoal which serves as a purifying agent for hydrogen sulphide. The results obtained showed reduction in percentage composition of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon dioxide, and water vapour. On the other hand, there was an increase in percentage composition of methane (CH4) which is an indication of improvement in methane production after purification. The outcomes of the results obtained were satisfactory and the combination of local potash and activated charcoal was adequate for biogas purification. Keywords- AD system, Purification filter, Design, Local reagents, Biogas. 1. Introduction The Anaerobic Digestion (AD) system is a greenhouse technology which has to deal with the generation of methane rich biogas through the biological degradation of regionally available biomass such as food waste, agricultural waste, wastewater, etc. (Bamgboye, 2012; Ray et al., 2013; Orhorhoro et al., 2016). It is a waste management technique that can be adopted for the treatment and utilization of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), and it has equally been proven to be a promising method for waste reduction and energy recycling (Zhou et al., 2014). The technology is widely adopted by Germany, Sweden, USA, Denmark etc., which have implemented rigorous waste disposal legislation (Igoni et al., 2008; Bhattacharya et al., 2005). Since 2000, annual power generation reported from AD plants/reactors projects in USA has increased almost 25 fold from 14 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) to an estimated 331 million kWh per year (US EPA, 2003). The technology is yet to yield reasonable results in Nigeria despite her huge biogas potential that is estimated at 25.53 billion m 3 per year (Ngumah et al., 2013). AD system technology is still at the elementary stage in Nigeria as major breakthrough has not been achieved in terms of production, purification, commercialization and availability in comparison to other countries with advance technology of AD system. Countries such Germany, USA, Sweden etc. depend on renewable energy from AD processes. However, various research works on the technology and policy aspects of biogas production has been carried out by various researchers in Nigeria (Sambo, 2005; Akinbami, 2001). One aspect of AD system that requires special attention in Nigeria is the technology for the removal of impurities associated with the production of biogas. Little is known about the effort to develop a local technology for the purification and removal of dangerous