Sewage biogas produced in Manchester is all set to change into a sustainable feed supply for graphene and hydrogen manufacturing because of a pioneering partnership between Levidian and United Utilities.

Picture Credit score: Levidian
The Authorities-funded collaboration is a primary for the UK water trade and can see Levidian’s modern LOOP expertise used to decarbonise biogas created throughout the wastewater remedy course of. In addition to producing hydrogen, the expertise may also produce graphene, a extremely helpful materials which was first found in Manchester which is stronger than metal and thinner than paper.
The LOOP100 system, developed by Cambridge local weather tech firm Levidian, can be put in at United Utilities’ Manchester Bioresources Centre at Davyhulme and used to decarbonise biogas produced on the facility. This trial follows a profitable feasibility research and can function the primary demonstration of a LOOP100. The challenge has been awarded £3 m of funding from the Division of Power Safety and Internet Zero Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme competitors and can ship greater than 1,000 hours of in-situ testing, verifying the manufacturing of separated hydrogen and graphene.
As a part of the challenge, Liverpool John Moores College will assess the potential utilization of hydrogen throughout the Liverpool Metropolis Area and Jacobs will present experience in carbon lifecycle evaluation, social worth evaluation, and commercialisation. Functions of the graphene produced by the LOOP can be developed collectively by Levidian and United Utilities with a selected deal with decreasing the carbon footprint of concrete used inside United Utilities’ capital programme.
Whereas the demonstrator LOOP100 can be able to processing round 15 m3 of biogas per hour, this demonstration is meant to be a stepping stone towards bigger installations, enabling United Utilities to sustainably produce hydrogen from biogas.
This comes at a vital time for the UK on its journey to internet zero. The partnership brings international trailblazing tech to the North West, supporting each Manchester’s formidable targets of changing into a zero-carbon metropolis by 2038 and the decarbonisation journey of the water trade.
Levidian’s CEO, John Hartley, stated: “There’s nowhere higher to be embarking on the subsequent part of Levidian and United Utilities’ partnership than in Manchester, the place graphene was found. We’re excited in regards to the potential of this collaboration and recognize the Authorities’s help for the subsequent part of its improvement.”
Lisa Mansell, Chief Engineer (Innovation) for United Utilities, added: “That is an extremely thrilling improvement. In addition to enabling use to seize carbon from our biogas manufacturing, it’ll additionally recuperate two excessive worth merchandise – hydrogen and graphene – which is a constructive step ahead in reaching carbon discount targets for each United Utilities and the broader North West.”
Supply: https://www.levidian.com/