A world-first research project is aiming to develop a new way of recovering waste heat from industry and decarbonise heating and cooling through hydrogen technologies.
On 2 February, London South Bank University (LSBU) set out how the project will investigate new ways of providing heating and cooling from energy intensive industries, such as steel, glass, paper and food. The hydrogen technologies to be studied will include chemical heat pumps to recover waste heat at various grades, long-distance transport networks capable of transferring recovered energy more efficiently, and advanced heating and cooling systems.
Using hydrogen technology to recover waste can deliver substantial cost and energy savings, according to LSBU. Around 60% of total waste heat produced in the UK by industry is potentially reusable in district networks, while use of the hydrogen technology will bring significant carbon emissions reductions anyway. The higher energy and cost savings than renewable energy are due to lower cost from limited heat recovery facilities and larger temperature ranges, stretching from 40°C to 1650°C.
The project will run for three years and has been granted £979,290 in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
