Manure hydrogen was produced by the INTERREG “EMMA” project. As part of an innovative bioenergy initiative, Münster University of Applied Sciences reports on this.
This EU-funded initiative includes her as a participant. Biomass energy generation strategies were examined by scientists. EMMA is an acronym for “Efficient, maximum methane generation from waste streams. An interdisciplinary team from Münster University of Applied Sciences and Cornelissen Consulting Services (CCS) in the Netherlands worked on this project. Small-scale plants that can ferment wastes have been developed by university researchers. Cattle manure is the focus here.
Cattle dung was fermented and studied to see how well it could be liquefied and what benefits it may provide. Tobias Weide, who heads the project alongside Dr. Elmar Brügging, explains this. With the help of project engineer Eike Meemann and scientific assistant Matthias Hartmann, he also created an appropriate three-reactor biogas plant for the project. An investigation by the EMMA team found out what items may be made from the dung of cattle. Additionally, the project included a combination of these items.
One kg of manure produces 2.5 liters of hydrogen gas
The energy content of bovine dung is lower than other wastes, but it still has promise, according to Weide. In addition, the facility allows for the production of organic acids. Hydrogen and methane may be extracted from them. Using just one kilogram of cow dung, researchers have been able to extract 2.5 liters of hydrogen from it. It is possible to consume the hydrogen directly or to boost the biogas’s methane concentration, known as methanation. This versatile use of the generated materials might help a variety of industries, including power, heat, and mobility.
De Marke, a test farm in the Netherlands, was the original focus of the two-year study experiment. The project had to be postponed because of time restrictions and a lack of resources. On the university’s Steinfurt campus, the university team conducted small-scale trials. As a result of our findings, we can now give recommendations for improving the Netherlands’ transportation system,” Meemann explains. It will profit from EMMA as soon as the main plant is constructed.”