The UK government has granted £220,000 to the University of Aberdeen’s School of Engineering to support a project that aims to develop a novel method of producing hydrogen from organic waste as part of the energy transition.
The funding, provided by the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), will support research that could result in the commercial conversion of organic material from food waste, manure, wastewaters, and other biodegradable wastes to hydrogen for use in homes and businesses.
The initiative, which is being directed by Professor Davide Dionisi from the School of Engineering, enlists several notable academics, including those from the university’s Department of Chemistry. The Universities of Verona in Italy and Cranfield University in England are also members of the group. The project will maximize the conversion of organic matter into hydrogen through a series of biological, thermochemical, and electrochemical steps.
According to a renowned expert in biomass research Professor Dionisi, “Creating hydrogen from organic waste would provide the dual benefits of lowering environmental pollution and of generating green sustainable energy. Hydrogen is a vital energy vector in the energy shift.
Since our proposed process combines waste treatment with energy generation and can be entirely powered by renewable electricity, it offers a more sustainable alternative to other processes for producing hydrogen from non-renewable and renewable resources. As of yet, there is no commercial process that produces hydrogen from organic waste.
According to Professor Dionisi, the research will use a novel method that includes four primary phases of reaction: dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion, plasma reforming, and steam gasification.
By producing hydrogen from organic waste, environmental pollution might be reduced and green, sustainable energy could be produced.
“I am pleased that our study has been recognized by the UK Government as being among the most promising in the UK in terms of establishing a sustainable hydrogen-producing method at a commercial scale,” Professor Dionisi continued.
The initiative might bring the suggested method closer to commercialization, which would ultimately result in less energy use, less land use, and less water use for the generation of green hydrogen in the UK and throughout the world.
Greg Hands, the UK government’s minister of energy, said: “One of the primary strategies for breaking our dependence on expensive and unstable fossil fuels is to accelerate domestic renewable energy sources like biomass. The government’s commitment of £37 million will foster innovation throughout the UK, creating employment and enhancing energy security for years to come.
