Baccardi distillery

Bacardi uses 2 large anaerobic reactors to digest the stillage originated by rum production. The biogas generated at the reactors needs to be cleaned (H₂S removal) 2 to be used in the boilers of the distillery in substitution to fossil fuel. Bacardi had been using a chemical absorption process to remove H₂S from the biogas for 20 years. The chemical absorption process presented several operational challenges as well as high operational costs.

Paques designed and supplied a fully automated 2-train system, with one scrubber and one reactor per train, providing flexibility and robustness to deal with frequent gas flow variations of the process. Each of the two trains is able to treat a load of 4,500 lbs of sulfur per day. Paques also designed and supplied a dewatering and sulfur washing system which enables Bacardi to dewater and wash the elemental sulfur generated by the process to 99% purity.

H₂S concentration in treated 2 biogas is consistently below 100 ppm, ensuring efficiency > 96%. The automated dosing of nutrients and the precise automated process control ensures ease of operation and minimum caustic use. The robustness of the system is able to deal with high load variation. The pure biosulfur generated by the process has commercial value and have the potential to be traded with a fertilizer producer.

• Design max inlet H S concentration 25,000 ppm
• Design flow 3,000 scfm
• Max H₂S encountered >30,000 ppm
• Outlet H₂S constant at