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Hazer Group has announced the conclusion of construction and commissioning at the Hazer Commercial Demonstration Project (CDP) in Woodman Point, Western Australia.
Hazer Group is an ASX-listed technology development firm that was founded in 2010 to commercialize University of Western Australia research. In 2020, the project became the first large-scale, functioning, and fully integrated demonstration of the hazer method.
Biogas produced by the Woodman Point Water Recovery Facility as a byproduct of wastewater treatment will be used as a feedstock for the process.
Using iron ore as a reaction catalyst, the technique creates hydrogen without creating CO2. The carbon in the feedstock is instead captured as graphite.
University of Western Australia developed the technology that displays methane pyrolysis, low emission, and cost-effective methods for producing clean hydrogen. The CDP is essential for establishing the scalability and marketability of the Hazer technology.
Primero Group, a partner of Hazer, completed the construction verification and commissioning processes. The first biogas feed is currently being fed to the CDP, marking the beginning of the first scheduled phase of operational testing. The Hazer operations team is in complete control of the 100-ton-per-year facility and will initiate the first step of the planned testing program.
In November of last year, the initial cost estimate of $16 million was increased to $22 million due to construction delays.
The CEO of the Hazer group, Geoff Ward, expressed gratitude for the completion despite the several delays. “I would like to congratulate the Primero team, our engineering and construction partner, for their hard work in delivering the construction program safely and efficiently. I would also like to acknowledge the teamwork of everyone involved in finishing the construction without any safety or environmental accidents, a remarkable accomplishment under difficult conditions in a complicated environment for a groundbreaking project.
The initial testing phase would generate process data to reduce the risk of the second phase, which includes hot commissioning and the whole plant operation. During this phase, the program will collect engineering data, such as fluidization properties, heat transport parameters, and carbon emission parameters. Utilizing a temporary carbon steel reactor, it will be conducted at low temperatures (the cold reactor). During this phase, gas conditioning, solids handling, process control, safety, and utility systems will be tested.
In China, a hot-wall reactor is being manufactured at a factory. Although there has been a slight delay due to covid constraints, the reactor is expected to be delivered to Australia in the third quarter. Additionally, they anticipate installing the reactor in the fourth quarter, continuing their goal of producing hydrogen and graphite by the end of 2022. The proposed rigorous testing schedule will demonstrate the process’s continuous functioning with the full integration of all needed subsystems in preparation for commercial operations.
This breakthrough will increase awareness of the creation of renewable hydrogen from a waste byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment, while simultaneously generating a carbon-free method. Additionally, it will increase the use of renewable hydrogen as a low-emission transportation fuel.
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