British Biological Engineering firm, Alps Ecoscience (Alps) is pleased to be participating in the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) £37 million investment in green energy innovation, H2BECCS is part of the Hydrogen BECCS (bioenergy with carbon captured and storage) Innovation Programme, which forms part of the UK Government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. Alps Ecoscience’ Hydrogen BECCS project seeks to produce BioHydrogen from waste using Dark Fermentation to deliver a sustainable, low carbon energy supply.

Energy Minister, Greg Hands, said:
“Accelerating home-grown renewables like biomass is a key part of ending our dependency on expensive and volatile fossil fuels.”

“This £37 million of government investment will support innovation across the UK, boosting jobs whilst ensuring greater energy security for years to come.”

Alps novel BioHydrogen production technology uses nature’s own process of anaerobic digestion to convert organic waste diverted from landfill into Hydrogen gas. The specific BioHydrogen production process is called Dark Fermentation, which is yet to be achieved at commercial scale. Alps novel technology will enable anaerobic digestion processes to produce green Hydrogen in conjunction with their existing biogas production. The process enables economies of production in heat and electricity and greater waste to energy conversion through biological process efficiency. Resulting in more energy per tonne, reduced carbon emissions and the diversion of organic material from landfill or incineration.

Managing Director Mike Platt, said:
“This research award recognises Alps Ecoscience as an innovator in biological engineering and enables us to develop and accelerate the commercialisation of BioHydrogen technology in the UK. We appreciate the support BEIS is providing us through the H2BECCS Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme initiative. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends and supporters within the biogas and waste management community.”

Alp’s project started in June and runs to November 2022 after which time there is further opportunity to bid for a full-scale production pilot. Alps Senior AD Engineer, Dr Helen Theaker, will present a case study of Phase 1 at The European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference in November.

Wade McRoberts. Technical Director, added:
“When you consider Hydrogen has three times the available energy of petrol it gets your attention. But when you reflect, if we can make if from black bin waste the environmental and economic impact is exponential. It inspires me every day to resolve this biological challenge.”

About BEIS (Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy)

Leading economy-wide transformation by backing enterprise and long-term growth, generating cheaper, cleaner, homegrown energy, and unleashing the UK as a science superpower through innovation.

This funding has been made available from the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s. The Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme aims to provide funding to support innovation in hydrogen BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) technologies.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-beccs-innovation-programme

About Alps Ecoscience UK ltd

Alps Ecoscience is a biological engineering company specialising in the production of energy from organic biomass. In addition to R&D work into future fuels, Alps helps clients in the biogas industry to optimise the biological performance of their digesters to maximise energy output. Alps provide managed services, feasibility studies and consultancy across the UK and Ireland.

Alps was founded by Mike Platt and Wade McRoberts in the UK in 2017. Their aim has been to develop sustainable ways of processing waste into a resource for energy, biochemical manufacture, and soil improvement. By providing natural, effective, and scalable solutions to manage waste, Alps Ecoscience believes “we can change the world together” to preserve our precious environment and build a sustainable energy economy.

Please contact Alan Beesley, Commercial Director at Alps Ecoscience for additional information on any aspect of Green Hydrogen production.

Links to resulting media coverage

https://biomassmagazine.com/articles/19218/uk-funds-biomass-feedstock-biobased-hydrogen-projects