Mineral Deposit Formation in Gas Engines during Combustion of Biogas from Landfills and Municipal WWTP

The biogas produced in municipal wastewater-treatment plants (WWTP) should be cleaned before it can be used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. Efficient running of such engines is possible only subject to using high quality biogas and lubricating oil. Otherwise, biogas impurities in course of complex chemical reactions may form deposits on various engine parts as well as seriously contaminate the lubricating oil. In this paper, mineral deposits containing high concentration of bismuth, silicon, sulphur, calcium and zinc are studied. Silicon deposits demonstrating strong friction properties are formed during combustion of volatile silica compounds. As these deposits build up, abrasion problems, ignition failure and even engine failure result. The bismuth containing deposits comes from bearings degradation, zinc and calcium were derived from the additives present in commercially available lubricating oil, while lead, aluminium, copper, nickel, iron and chromium were introduced by engine wear phenomena. The highest bismuth content was located at the engine cylinder heads and the lowest at the exhaust elements, whereas highest calcium content was registered on the pistons. Silicon containing deposits are highest in the exhaust and lowest at the engine head. Zinc deposits are highest at the piston.