In the UK, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has awarded GBP 5 million (≈ EUR 5.9 million) in Phase 1 funding to 22 organizations under the Hydrogen BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) Innovation Programme.
The Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme supports technologies that can produce hydrogen from biogenic feedstocks and be combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
The program forms part of the BEIS GBP 1 billion (≈ EUR 1.2 billion) Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialization of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s.
The program is in two phases:
- Phase 1 with a total budget of GBP 5 million (≈EUR 5.9 million) supports multiple projects to scope and develop a feasible prototype demonstration project
- the prototype demonstration project from Phase 1 will be run in Phase 2
Phase 1 is now closed and 22 organizations, including start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been selected with up to GBP 250 000 (≈ EUR 295 701) of funding per project to develop strong project proposals aimed at delivering commercially viable innovative hydrogen BECCS technology solutions across three categories:
- Feedstock pre-processing: the development of low-cost, energy- and material-efficient technologies which will optimize biogenic (including biomass and waste) feedstocks for use in advanced gasification technologies.
- Gasification components: the development of advanced gasification technology components focusing on improving syngas quality and upgrading for the generation of hydrogen.
- Novel biohydrogen technologies: the development of novel biohydrogen technologies which can be combined with carbon capture, for example, dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion, and wastewater treatment.
The selected projects and lead organizations are:
Category 1: Feedstock pre-processing
Producing hydrogen fuel feedstock from compost oversize – Biowise Ltd.
Bluegen – Utilisation of Biorefinery Residues for Blue Hydrogen Production – University of Hull.
Category 2: Gasification components
Development of Biomass Gasification Tar Reformation and Ash Removal –Advanced Biofuel Solutions Ltd (ABSL).
Micro-H2 hub utilizing biogenic feedstock for hydrogen and CO2 production – Compact Syngas Solutions Ltd.
Bio-hydrogen Produced by Enhanced Reforming (Bio-HyPER) – Cranfield University.
RiPR (Rising Pressure Reformer) using SCWG (Super Critical Water Gasification) – Helical Energy Ltd.
Enhancement of KEW biomass gasification technology performances through optimization of the H2/CO2 separation process stage – Kew Projects Ltd.
North East Waste Wood Hydrogen Demonstrator (NEW2H2) – Northumbria University.
Novel plasma reforming technology for tars reduction in BECCS – Queen Mary University of London.
H2 production via Biomass gasification Integrated with innovative one-step Gas shift reforming and separation (BIG-H2) – Translational Energy Research Centre, University of Sheffield.
Category 3: Novel biohydrogen technologies
Hydrogen from Cyanobacteria – a biological route to zero-carbon or carbon-negative hydrogen – 17Cicada Ltd.
Eco Dark Fermentation – Alps Ecoscience UK Ltd.
Production of biohydrogen from waste biomass – CATAGEN Ltd.
Pure Pyrolysis Refined – Environmental Power International (UK R&D) Ltd.
HAROW (Hydrogen by Aqueous-Phase Reforming of Organic Wastes) – ICMEA-UK Ltd.
Biohydrogen from Dark and Photo Fermentation – Phoebus Power Ltd.
Thermal Catalytic Conversion of Syngas to Carbon Nanotubes – The Cool Corporation Ltd.
The Sustainable Biogas, Hydrogen, Graphene LOOP – United Utilities Water.
Hydrogen from organic waste with an integrated biological-thermal electrochemical process – University of Aberdeen.
H2-Boost – University of Leeds.
BIOHYGAS – University of South Wales.
Bio Hydrogen Demonstrator – Wood Group UK Ltd.
