The University of York has hailed a “UK first” after a project led by its Biorenewables Development Centre was able to produce hydrogen at scale through a biological process, while capturing the carbon dioxide.
The H2Boost project, carried out together with the University of Leeds, has used dark fermentation to transform everyday waste into clean hydrogen. The system used then captures and reuses all the by-products generated, with the waste material generating additional energy through anaerobic digestion in the form of cultivated algae and bacteria capture carbon emissions. There is, therefore, virtually no waste that goes in the production of hydrogen.
Penny Cunningham, Programme Operations Manager at the Biorenewables Development Centre, said: “Our novel approach to producing clean hydrogen from waste while removing CO2 is not only technically feasible but also holds significant promise for large-scale sustainable energy solutions in the future.”
