Tag: landfill, energy, hydrogen, animal waste, biomass, biogas, sustainable, green, methane, steam, decarbonization
Researcher: Giampaolo Manzolini
Department: DENG – Energy Department
The use of hydrogen as an energy source could reduce both pollution and the production of greenhouse gases. However, most of the hydrogen currently produced comes from natural gas, coal or oil, processing all of which creates carbon dioxide. Biomass, though, is an almost carbon-neutral renewable energy source. The anaerobic digestion process of residual biomass from various sources – animal waste, sewage treatment plants, industrial wastewater and landfills, for example – produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Politecnico di Milano has an important focus on this matter. One of the most promising technologies developed by our researchers comes from the European project BIONICO (BIOgas membrane reformer for deceNtralIzed hydrogen produCtiOn), funded with over 3 million euros under the Horizon 2020 scheme.
The team developed, assembled and is currently testing a pilot plant that converts biogas directly into hydrogen, with a novel reactor concept at its core. The plant is expected to produce 100 kg of hydrogen per day. It will be the first example of a biogas-to-hydrogen plant based on membrane reactor technology installed in a real biogas plant at this scale, with more than 100 membranes in a single fluidised bed membrane reactor. It aims at a hydrogen production efficiency of 70%, 10% over same-size conventional reactors. It works with biogas produced through biodigesters or from municipal waste, fed into the plant together with steam inside the reactor. The reaction is enhanced by a catalyst which circulates in the reactor through the same flow of biogas. Inside the reactor, palladium tubular membranes on ceramic support allow to selectively separate the hydrogen. The high efficiency obtained with the BIONICO reactor is guaranteed from the simultaneous production and separation of hydrogen in a single reactor. The use of a single reactor operating at temperatures limited (550 vs 800 ° C) also allows to simplify the system, with potential cost advantages over traditional systems.
The project shows the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the solution and define the market potential for the new plant, while proving biogas-produced hydrogen to be a viable sustainable energy source, with potential environmental benefits that can come from using such plants in the long term.
The BIONICO consortium benefits from the cooperation of eight partners from seven different countries across the EU. Each partner has been involved in a different aspect of the mission, such as the design and testing of the reactor together with the main system components. The BIONICO project stems from the knowledge gained in years of research from three previous projects: ReforCELL, FERRET and FluidCELL.
