Petronas and Heriot-Watt University have entered into a research partnership to jointly develop cost-effective technologies to produce hydrogen from biomass waste.
The £1m project is a collaboration under Petronas' Centre of Excellence in Subsurface Engineering and Energy Transition (PACESET), one of three technology centres established by the Malaysian oil and gas group and its academic partners to advance low-carbon energy solutions.
PACESET is based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and was launched in June 2021.
The research aims to advance techniques to use thermochemical reactions to produce hydrogen from waste materials. Researchers will also explore solutions to address scalability and storage - main barriers in popularising hydrogen as an alternative energy - to promote adoption globally.
The initial focus will be on utilising the estimated four million tonnes of waste and by-products created by distilleries in the UK and the approximately 127m tonnes of agriculture waste generated annually in Malaysia for hydrogen production.
The academic team will also explore storage solutions aiming to utilise depleted oil wells for pure hydrogen storage, without the need to add natural gas for stability.
Professor Raffaella Ocone, who is leading the research at the university’s Institute of Geoenergy Engineering, said: “Hydrogen is seen as a key contributor to the energy transition, but current production and storage methods face multiple scalability challenges.
“Biomass and biomass-derived fuels can be used to produce hydrogen sustainably and our multidisciplinary team is uniquely placed to address the current barriers by bringing together engineers, scientists, geologists and industry partners.
“Our focus will be on technology that can scale because hydrogen remains a small contributor to our overall energy mix - for net zero ambitions to be met, this needs to change rapidly.”
Petronas Group's UK research and technology head Dr Gboyega Bishop Falope commented: “We are confident this research will elevate the contribution hydrogen can make as part of the world’s energy mix, and to be part of the holistic solution that brings forth a sustainable future.”
Heriot-Watt University chemical and process engineering assistant professor Dr Aimaro Sanna, who is a co-investigator in the project, added: “Creating new energy sources from waste products solves numerous global challenges including reducing landfill, and minimising carbon emissions.
“This hydrogen research is a significant step towards addressing the increased waste generated year on year across multiple sectors as well as building the potential for hydrogen as a sustainable energy source of the future.”
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