By far the most common methods of disposing of green waste and sewage sludge are composting or incineration. However, it would make more sense to use these materials to produce hydrogen, a valuable energy source. A team of researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA is working towards this goal. CO2 capture is key to this development: for example, the CO2 produced during the production of hydrogen from waste is separated and then used as a raw material in the chemical industry. In this way, the research team can use various processes to generate negative hydrocarbons from organic waste, thereby removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Germany has no shortage of organic waste. According to the German Environment Agency, some 4.6 million tons ended up in German household compost bins last year alone. This does not include waste from parks and gardens, agriculture and food production, as well as sewage sludge and canteen leftovers - in total, it amounts to 15 million tonnes. Much of it is taken to composting plants or burned to produce heat and electricity. This produces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which harm our climate. "Organic waste is too valuable to be used in this way," says Johannes Full, head of the sustainability group at Fraunhofer IPA Biointelligent Technologies in Stuttgart. "It makes more sense to use this material to generate hydrogen. Company 2 The radiation emitted during this process can then be separated, stored or used for industrial applications. Many consider hydrogen to be the clean energy carrier of the future. In energy conversion processes During utilization, only water is released. But for now, hydrogen is still produced mainly from natural gas. Production processes based on plant residues will be more climate-friendly, as will electrolysis using renewable electricity to reduce carbon monoxide. Level 2 In the Atmosphere The past few years have seen the development of various processes for converting biomass into hydrogen. In their analysis, Full and his colleagues assessed which processes were technologically mature. and can be run efficiently in the future. The new conversion method also promises to be an answer to certain weaknesses in traditional organic waste management: whether biomass is composted or burned, it is always released from the air through photosynthesis It would make more sense to capture these greenhouse gases from factories with the aim of using them as raw materials for the chemical industry or to store them underground in abandoned natural gas fields. "We are working to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while also using plant residues to produce green hydrogen in the process," Full said. Fraunhofer IPA is working on a project in collaboration with a company in the metals industry that demonstrates the potential of biomass. In this project, waste from local fruit growers and vintners, as well as cardboard, wood and canteen waste can be converted into hydrogen. This hydrogen is then used directly in metal processing. The first step in the process is to ferment leftover fruit and canteen waste with the help of bacteria in dark vessels to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The fermented material can then be converted into methane through another fermentation process in a conventional biogas plant. The methane is in turn converted into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In comparison, wood and paper fibers are difficult to ferment in this way. They can be separated into carbon monoxide and hydrogen using a wood gasifier. As part of the project, Fraunhofer IPA is comparing different process options to help select the most suitable and efficient technology. In addition, IPA researchers are developing technical optimization methods to reduce costs and ensure that the respective processes are as environmentally friendly as possible. Purple bacteria are particularly effective at producing hydrogen from fruit and dairy waste. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have succeeded in modifying bacteria in a way that requires almost no light, meaning that the hydrogen production process requires less energy. Together with Fraunhofer IPA, they are investigating financially feasible ways to produce hydrogen from purple bacteria on a larger scale in the future.As part of the H2Wood – BlackForest project, the team at Fraunhofer IPA is also collaborating with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interface Engineering and Biotechnology IGB to explore how microorganisms break down wood waste to form hydrogen and other valuable molecules for use in the chemical industry. Other project partners include the Schwarzwald campus and the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Management IFF at the University of Stuttgart. Study conducted by Fraunhofer IPA entitled "Industrial Hydrogen Hub in Baden-Württemberg" ("I-H2-Hub-BW") Research shows that green hydrogen has the potential to meet some of the energy needs of specific industrial sectors and the transport of heavy goods within the region. The researchers found that decentralized hydrogen production and use will pay off if distribution centers (i.e. hubs) are strategically located. These hubs use green electricity to operate electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen . To avoid transportation costs, hubs must be as close to consumers as possible. Therefore, a second important criterion for site selection is the need for process heat, high-temperature processes and hydrogen from local industry, for example for the production of nitrogen fertilizer . Infrastructure is equally important: "The ideal location is close to busy roads and a truck depot where a hydrogen filling station can be set up," says Dr. Jürgen Henke, a scientist at Fraunhofer IPA. With the help of location criteria, the research team led by Henke identified possible locations for Baden-Württemberg - starting with the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area and the greater Karlsruhe area. With the help of computer simulations, researchers at Fraunhofer IPA have demonstrated that, under certain circumstances, 30% of fossil energy could be replaced by regionally produced green hydrogen within ten years - using only the state's own open space. Fraunhofer USA\\r Founded in 1994, Fraunhofer USA, Inc. is a non-profit 501 research and development organization. FhUSA conducts applied research and development for clients from industry, state and federal governments. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest R&D organization, Fraunhofer USA has domestic and international resources to enhance its R&D services portfolio. Fraunhofer Research Center USA and Fraunhofer Institute Germany work together to provide the most versatile cutting-edge technologies to the global market. Fraunhofer USA offers unique transatlantic business opportunities to bridge the innovation gap from the laboratory to the real market. \\r \\r Fraunhofer USA is a subsidiary of German Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and operates seven research centers and two marketing offices. Each research center is affiliated with at least one of the 67 Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany and a major research university in the United States. U.S. experimental software engineering and energy innovation, strengthening transatlantic collaboration in education, applied research and innovation. indeed.com Original text: Green hydrogen from plant residue (fraunhofer.de) Harnessing the potential of biomass
Producing hydrogen from purple bacteria
Study on the Industrial Hydrogen Hub in Baden-Württemberg
