ZEOLITE 4A FOR CLEANSING OF LANDFILL GAS

The anaerobic decomposition in landfills produces a gas mixture known as landfill biogas. This biogas consists mainly of CH4 and CO2. The CO2 removal can be carried out by means of adsorption. In order to promote CO2 removal, zeolite type 4A was used as solid adsorbent. The synthesized zeolite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. CH4/CO2 mixture isotherms were obtained in a magnetic suspension balance equipped with a gas dosing unit and Extended Langmuir and Extended Sips models were used to predict mixture isotherms from monocomponent data. Three biogas emissions drains in a sanitary landfill in Caucaia (Ceará State, Brazil) - ASMOC - were chosen to test the performance of zeolite as CO2 adsorbent under real conditions. Zeolite 4A has proven to be very selective for CO2 even in the presence of H2S.