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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/R00076X/1
Title NWaste2H2- H2 Production by Reforming Bio-methane with Nitrogen Rich Waste Streams
Status Completed
Energy Categories Hydrogen and Fuel Cells(Hydrogen, Hydrogen production) 50%;
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Production of transport biofuels (incl. Production from wastes)) 50%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 50%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Chemical Engineering) 25%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 25%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 75%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions) 25%;
Principal Investigator Dr V Dupont
No email address given
Energy Resources Research Unit
University of Leeds
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 18 September 2017
End Date 17 November 2019
Duration 26 months
Total Grant Value £202,491
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region Yorkshire & Humberside
Programme Energy : Energy
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Dr V Dupont , Energy Resources Research Unit, University of Leeds (99.998%)
  Other Investigator Dr TT (Timothy ) Cockerill , Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London (0.001%)
Dr MA Camargo-Valero , Civil Engineering, University of Leeds (0.001%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , Leeds City Council (0.000%)
Project Contact , Northern Gas Networks (0.000%)
Project Contact , Defiant Renewables Pvt. Ltd, India (0.000%)
Project Contact , Twigg Scientific and Technical Ltd (0.000%)
Project Contact , Lincolnshire County Council (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The NWaste2H2 project aims to demonstrate that reducing the energy requirements and the associated greenhouse gas (CO2, N2O) emissions of biogas production at anaerobic digestion at AD plants and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) whilst producing the clean energy vector hydrogen from reforming of the renewable biogas can be effected economically in the UK.This project brings together for 2 years a team of expert researchers in AD from wastes (Camargo-Valero), H2 production (Dupont) and energy systems (Cockerill) across three Engineering schools at Leeds, as well as industrial and external collaborators in the WWTP, AD research, H2 production industry, UK City and County Councils, with academic partners in India, China, Thailand and Malaysia who are members of the Scientific Advisory Board for the project. The combined efforts will deliver detailed process model, UK-wide technology deployment model considering the different uses of the H2 produced downstream of the process, economic evaluation and LCA of integrated H2 production from biogas and Nitrogen-rich waste streams from anaerobic digestion at Anaerobic Digestion and Wastewater Treatment plants.Funding for the project will provide for the costs of employment of a postdoctoral assistant for 18 months, as well as the laboratory expenses for a PhD student funded through the Centre for Doctoral Training on Bioenergy at The University of Leeds, and the dissemination and travel costs associated with presenting the work at world conferences on bioenergy and hydrogen. The premise behind the proposed technology is to exploit the ability of reforming nitrogen rich organic co-feeds to hydrogen and nitrogen gas, with carbon dioxide as co-product, which allows diverting a large waste stream from the denitrification stage at AD/wastewater treatment plants. Both catalytic processes of steam reforming and autothermal reforming will be investigated as potential H2 production routes. Denitrification of digestate liquor at WWT currently represents a very significant capital and energy burden which results in significant nitrous oxide (N2O) gas emissions, when N2O has a global warming potential roughly 300 times that of CO2 over a 100 years horizon. The NWaste2H2 process will have to show high conversions not just to hydrogen gas but also to nitrogen gas in order to significantly divert N-rich waste streams from the denitrification step
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 28/01/19