Alps Ecoscience at cutting edge of UK green hydrogen research
Biological Engineering firm, Alps Ecoscience (Alps) is at the cutting edge of the UK’s green hydrogen research. Alps is one of 22 organisations chosen by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) in phase 1 of H2BECCS, part of a £37 million investment in green energy innovation. H2BECCS is a component 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 green Hydrogen from waste using Dark Fermentation to deliver a sustainable, low carbon energy supply.
Green hydrogen project summary
This research award recognises Alps Ecoscience as an innovator in biological engineering and enables it to develop and accelerate the commercialisation of green Hydrogen technology in the UK. The green hydrogen project as part of a novel technology sub category and is described as follows on the UK governments website.
Eco Dark Fermentation
Led by Alps Ecoscience UK Ltd.
Alps Ecoscience’s H2 BECCS project seeks to produce hydrogen from waste using Dark Fermentation to deliver a sustainable, low carbon energy supply. This novel technology will enable anaerobic digestion plants to produce 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. The work is delivered by Alps Ecoscience, a biological engineering consultancy specialising in the development of green fuels from organic waste.”
The full list of participants and their green hydrogen innovations is available here.
H2 BECCS Phase 2 overview
The Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme supports technologies which can produce hydrogen from biogenic feedstocks and be combined with carbon capture. Alps Ecoscience’ H2BECCS phase 1, green hydrogen project has just concluded and the final report has been submitted to BEIS. Final results will be available shortly (spring 2023), but an interim presentation showing the viability of Dark Fermentation for Hydrogen production can be read here. Alps Ecoscience now move on to Phase 2, preparing a proposal for a prototype demonstrator.
The H2BECCS Phase 2 (total budget £25 million) builds on Phase 1 (total budget £5 million now closed) to take projects from innovation design through to innovation demonstration. Phase 1 supported multiple projects to scope and develop a feasible prototype demonstration project.
Through a pre-commercial, fully funded procurement Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), this programme aims to support innovative Hydrogen BECCS technology solutions across 3 categories:
- Feedstock pre-processing: the development of low cost, energy and material-efficient pre-processing technologies, which will optimise biomass and waste) feedstocks for use in Advanced Gasification Technologies.
- Gasification components: the development of Advanced Gasification Technology components focusing on improving syngas quality and upgrading for generation of hydrogen.
- Novel biohydrogen technologies: the development of novel biohydrogen technologies producing hydrogen from biogenic feedstocks, where the core conversion technology is not gasification, and which can be combined with carbon capture.
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.
