Three biomass projects in Wales have received UK government funding in a bid to boost domestic renewable energy, BEIS has announced.
The UK Government said nearly £2.5m has been given to three Welsh projects in a bid to increase production of sustainable biomass and develop new technologies to generate hydrogen from biomass and waste.
Aberystwyth University has received over £2m in funding for its 'miscanspeed' project, which is looking at accelerating the growth of miscanthus (elephant grass) - grass varieties that are suited for biomass use.
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The financial backing is part of £32m available under phase two of the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation programme, aimed at increasing biomass production in the UK which can be used to produce low-carbon energy, such as biofuels and aviation fuels.
In 2020, biomass generated 12.6% of the total UK electricity.
While two Welsh projects have received funding under phase one of the Hydrogen BECCS programme.
The University of South Wales received £238,858 under the BECCS programme for their BIOHYGAS project to produce hydrogen and CO2 from sewage waste.
While Compact Syngas Solutions in Deeside has received £246,568 to explore using biogenic feedstock for hydrogen and CO2 production.
The gasification company secured the funding to develop its carbon capture technology to help lower the environmental impact of its waste-to-hydrogen plants.
CSS had already won a BEIS grant worth nearly £300,000 earlier this year to advance its waste-to-hydrogen production technology.
The latest funding will help CSS to develop technology that allows it to capture the carbon produced during gasification, a process which produces syngas - a cocktail of gases that includes up to 20% hydrogen - and is the first step to producing pure hydrogen from waste.
The firm will explore the feasibility of using water as a way of separating out CO2 during gasification and storing it.
A test rig will be built before the company advances to a full-scale prototype later in the project when phase two funding of £5m will be available.
The solution being developed will have to be portable enough that it can be easily transported and sold to commercial customers.
However, the carbon capture process itself must also promote the efficiency of the hydrogen production, and help lower carbon emissions overall.
The 10 Micro H2 hubs (with four gasifiers) that CSS ultimately plans to build will each be capable of producing 60kg of hydrogen and capturing 3,168kg of CO2 each day.
Full-scale rollout could see three large waste-to-syngas-to-liquid-fuel facilities built in the UK which, between them, could capture 50,100 tonnes of CO2 a year.
The technology will be key to helping the UK reach its Net Zero 2050 target.
Waste-to-hydrogen production diverts waste from landfill and produces a fuel that has no greenhouse gas by-products.
Hydrogen has many industrial uses but can also be used as a fuel for vehicles.
Managing director of Compact Syngas Solutions Paul Willacy said: "We are delighted to have been successful in obtaining government funding for our Hydrogen BECCS Innovation project. The ability to capture and store the carbon from our gasification process whilst making hydrogen, takes us one step closer to producing cleaner and greener hydrogen and to support the drive to Net Zero."
Both Biomass Feedstocks and Hydrogen BECCS programmes are being funded through the BEIS £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
Energy Minister Greg Hands said: "Wales has a key role to play as we accelerate renewables like biomass to end our dependency on fossil fuels and boost our energy independence.
"This £2.5m UK government investment will support biomass innovation in Wales, boosting jobs and investment, and ensuring we have the homegrown supply we need to support our future green energy mix."
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