A Belfast agency has been awarded £4.9 million funding from the UK Division for Power Safety and Internet Zero (DESNZ) to develop a reactor for producing hydrogen from sustainable biomass and biomass waste.
The ensuing bio-hydrogen reactor “presents a a lot decrease price of manufacturing and a a lot shorter time-to-market,” says the agency, “with the added benefit of the bioCO2 getting used to displace the fossil CO2 presently utilized in many industries.”
CATAGEN’s biohydrogen expertise “makes use of a supply of waste biomass which is available each within the UK and Eire and importantly doesn’t displace the rising of crops for meals.”
Having already constructed a prototype Biohydrogen Generator and efficiently accomplished feasibility research in real-world industrial settings, together with on the Mannok Cement Plant in Ballyconnell (pictured), CATAGEN says this funding will permit it to ship a full-scale demonstrator by 2025.
Hydrogen from renewable sources is extensively thought of to be some of the vital low carbon fuels that may more and more part out fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be essential for a number of different web zero applied sciences and fuels together with e-fuels which can be essential for probably the most difficult-to-decarbonise sectors, similar to heavy-duty diesel, aviation, and marine.
This newest authorities funding is a part of a broader £21 million package deal to help innovation in hydrogen BECCS (bioenergy with carbon seize and storage) applied sciences within the UK.
Dr Andrew Woods, CEO and Co-Founding father of CATAGEN, mentioned, “CATAGEN has been on an incredible journey over the previous yr, not solely has our core enterprise expanded its emissions testing work however we now have quickly innovated 5 new web zero applied sciences with the help from the Division for Power Safety and Internet Zero. This funding award permits us to maneuver into our subsequent part of growth for the ClimaHtech BIOHGEN system, recruiting extra engineers as we speed up our journey to scrub and decarbonise the air.”
“I’m additionally happy to announce that working collaboratively with Joe O’Neill, CEO and his crew at Belfast Harbour, we are going to website the primary BIOHGEN system within the Harbour Property and develop the dimensions of CATAGEN’s footprint. This gives large alternative for the early adoption of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonise transport or heavy business at a focus in Belfast, as a part of Belfast Harbour’s Inexperienced Port Technique.”
In Part 1 of this challenge, CATAGEN developed an preliminary prototype reactor and has confirmed the feasibility of a low-cost answer, able to delivering excessive portions of biohydrogen throughout the subsequent few years, effectively forward of 2030 targets and effectively upfront of widespread, low-cost inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing from electrolysis. CATAGEN says its novel strategy requires much less capital funding and far decrease manufacturing prices. GHG (Greenhouse Fuel) emissions are additionally web zero with the bioCO2 produced getting used to additional displace fossil CO2 presently utilized in a number of industries.
Minister for Power Safety and Internet Zero Graham Stuart mentioned, “Our funding of over £80 million will assist them to go additional and sooner, utilizing the newest science, applied sciences, and new power sources to chop ties with fossil fuels and futureproof their industries.”
Bio-hydrogen, from sustainable biomass and biomass waste, is claimed to supply a big alternative to speed up the manufacturing of low-carbon-hydrogen, notably within the close to time period. “This strategy presents a a lot decrease price of manufacturing and a a lot shorter time-to-market with the added benefit of the bioCO2 getting used to displace the fossil CO2 presently utilized in many industries.”
The agency says funding will help new high-skilled inexperienced jobs within the area, with CATAGEN anticipated to develop its crew by a minimum of 50 per cent over the subsequent two years. Native suppliers and contractors can even profit from additional upskilling as the corporate expands its headquarters within the historic Titanic Quarter.
Biohydrogen is certainly one of CATAGEN’s 5 ClimaHtech applied sciences in growth to scrub and decarbonise the air. Because the agency explains, it “has a profitable core enterprise and is a market knowledgeable in offering finest in school emissions knowledge to the automotive business.”
