June 12, 2012 – The Navy has awarded a multi-year long contract to Skyhaven Systems, LLC to develop a purification system for biogas to operate with fuel cells. Renewable energy deriving from biomass sources has great potential for growth to meet our future energy demands. Biogas can be converted to electricity through the use of combustion processes or fuel cells. There is even greater potential for biogas if it can be made viable as a transportation fuel. In all cases, the quality of biogas is crucial in both its CH4 content and purity. CO2 is present in large quantities and is essentially a diluant to methane reducing the energetic content of biogas. In addition to CO2, the most common contaminant in biogas is H2S and other S-containing compounds that come from sulfur-bearing organic matter. Depending on the composition of the organic matter, the H2S content in biogas can vary from 100 to 10,000 ppm. This contaminant is highly undesirable due to its conversion to highly corrosive and environmentally hazardous compounds. Its removal is essential before any eventual utilization of biogas. Thus, reducing the concentration of CO2, H2S, and other contaminants including siloxanes (100-10000 ppm) and halogenated hydrocarbons (50 ppm) is necessary to improve the quality of biogas. Skyhaven Systems, LLC has previously demonstrated for the Navy separation technology to remove hydrogen sulfide and siloxanes from biogas streams. This multi-year program will scale the separator technology and apply it to a 1-2 kW solid oxide fuel cell operating with biogas.