Elche Greene has teamed up with the Technological Institute of Energy (ITE) and the Energy Cluster of the Valencian Community (CECV) to create a novel initiative that will integrate two hot topics in the energy sector: hydrogen energy generation and the circular economy.
The SIGEN2H2 project is centered on the production of hydrogen using gasification processes from waste rejects that end up in landfills, as well as simulation models for optimization. The circularity of the economics and production routines implied by the usage of this garbage makes it a very interesting idea.
SIGEN2H2 was presented at a special conference called “Renewable Gases: Present and Future” a few days ago. The CECV and the Valencian Community’s Official College of Industrial Engineers jointly presented a workshop on “Industrial Applications of Biogas and H2.” Emilio Sánchez, Greene’s technical director of hydrogen projects, gave the presentation, noting that producing hydrogen from waste using thermochemical methods of gasification with H2O is an alternative to producing it from reformed fossil fuels or water electrolysis. Waste is a renewable and infinite resource since human being consumes and manufactures diverse goods and raw materials on a regular basis.
The project’s main goal is to look into the best ways to generate circular and renewable hydrogen from waste mixtures that are treated through gasification processes and would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerated; it will also include analysis research using optimization techniques based on energy-productive modeling and simulation in the H2 generation part, which will help to virtually analyze the approach taken and the results.
To accomplish so, a waste combination is employed, one that comprises both biogenic and fossil components, as well as hydrogen in its elemental makeup. The majority of the gas from the biogenic part, which is less rich in hydrogen and has a neutral CO2 balance, is combusted to feed the engine that generates electricity for the plant; the electrical surplus is used in the electrolyzer, which produces either oxygen (for the gasification process) and additional hydrogen to that produced by the decomposition of the fossil origin, rich in hydrogen (which is the project’s main goal), or CO and H2 if it operates in reformed mode. Electrochemical H2 is created with waste energy as “additional” hydrogen to that produced via thermochemical processes, which are cheaper in terms of €/kg of H2 produced in both circumstances.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT
This industrial research is closely associated with major objectives such as energy storage, renewable energy, the circular economy, energy transition, sustainable mobility, as well as energy conservation and efficiency, which will help businesses increase their competitiveness. SIGEN2H2’s efforts are also incorporated into the CECV Strategic Plan, which addresses initiatives such as decarbonization, waste recovery, energy efficiency, and applied digitalization.
On the other side, the initiative will allow researchers to determine which technologies are the most successful at lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
It also has a highly innovative nature, since it combines Power to X technology and waste chemical recycling for the manufacture of renewable fuels, both of which are extremely novel and important in the European and Spanish decarbonization processes. As a result, unlike other methods, it is feasible to give trash a new material life and acquire hydrogen that collects and stores CO2 created during the synthesis of hydrogen obtained from non-biodegradable waste, avoiding severe environmental consequences.
This initiative is part of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism’s request for Innovative Business Groups, which aim to improve SMEs’ competitiveness as part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.
