A Brief Review of H ₂ S and Nitrogen-Based Contaminants from Biogas: Effects on Reforming Catalysts and SOFC Anodes

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide This paper provides a brief review of biogas contaminants, examining the impact of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), nitrogen (N 2 ), and ammonia (NH 3 ) on catalytic reforming processes and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) electricity generation. Biogas, produced through anaerobic digestion (AD), is a promising renewable energy source that can be upgraded into biomethane and reformed into H 2 -rich syngas for SOFCs. Despite this, contaminants like H 2 S found in biogas and biomethane cause critical issues such as catalyst poisoning, decreased electrochemical performance, and higher maintenance costs, while NH 3, potentially formed from N 2 during reforming, can lead to catalyst degradation and reduced SOFC performance, representing an underexplored contamination pathway. This review highlights the negative impacts of H 2 S, N 2, and NH 3 on catalytic reforming and SOFCs, causing catalyst deactivation and performance loss, thus reinforcing the importance of developing advanced purification methods and sulfur-tolerant materials to improve renewable hydrogen (H 2 ) production and fuel cell durability.