Hybrid Optimization of Integrated Membrane and Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption for Biogas Upgrading to Biomethane

The design and optimization of Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) processes for biogas upgrading to biomethane are crucial for improving efficiency and reducing the costs associated with renewable energy production. Despite its significance, the optimization of VPSA for biogas upgrading remains largely underexplored due to the inherent complexities involved. This study addresses these challenges by presenting, for the first time, a hybrid optimization of an integrated membrane and VPSA system for biogas upgrading. The process was initially optimized via a surrogate optimizer. Then, the results of the surrogate optimizer were used in a gradient-based optimizer to achieve deterministic optimization. Optimization was constructed in such a way as to achieve methane purity ≥ 96%, methane recovery ≥ 99%, and the lowest possible energy consumption.