Novel Production Process for Renewable Hydrogen from Animal and Human Waste

The development and upscaling of renewable hydrogen sources are a prerequisite if the UK is to effectively help solve the energy 'trilemma' of reducing emissions from electricity generation, improving security of supply and reducing costs. Hydrogen is seen as an alternative clean energy source to replace polluting traditional fuels however, 95 % of the world's hydrogen is derived from non-renewable fuels. Alternative renewable sources of hydrogen are required. This feasibility project brings academia and industry together to develop a combined biological / electrochemical process to convert animal and human waste to renewable hydrogen. It will focus on removing technical barriers which are limiting scale up and commercialisation. Success will lead to significant electricity generation from abundant, low value, polluting waste streams and the development of the process will open the way for the technology to be exploited in other overseas markets and other industry sectors such as food manufacturing and processing.

Success of this project will provide new information to allow the partners to determine if each of the processes involved can be improved sufficiently to produce an economically, environmentally and socially attractive source of renewable hydrogen.
It will enable academic and industrial process developers to identify any further developments necessary to optimise the physical, bio-, electrochemical and mass transfer processes occurring. Project results will guide both academic researchers and commercial equipment designers and fabricators in modifications needed for each hardware.
It will provide further information to commercial system integrators and vendors about the capabilities required from implementable installations and of the commercial opportunity. Businesses with waste streams will learn more about how they can benefit from increased management of these to reduce costs and improve competitiveness. Overall this project will lead to improvement in the understanding by all partners of the sustainability opportunities presented by utilisation of a particular renewable, low cost, energy feedstock.

Outside the project and the academic audience the project results will be of interest to
1. The farming community and it supporting organisations (such as DEFRA, National Farmers Union, National Pig Association), which can benefit from reductions in its own energy requirements and from new or increased revenues from feeding hydrogen derived electricity into the grid.
2. Animal welfare groups , including the UK governments Animal and Plant Health Agency, because the reduction of ammonia levels around pigs is expected to also reduce the occurrence of respiratory illnesses and as a consequence reduce the requirement for antibiotics - this is also a financial and human health consideration
3. Environmental groups as the impact of the release of unprocessed waste will be reduced.
4. Other Water Utilities businesses and its supporting organisations (such as British Water and the Future Water Organisation) which can benefit from reductions in their own energy requirements and increase their generation of renewable energy.

Pig farming and water treatment are global activities. There are opportunities, especially in livestock farming, to spread the benefits commercially or as Aid and support (or as 2nd generation and cheaper technology) to developing countries through DFID activities - countries in South East Asia (eg Cambodia) and also China have very large pig production industries.