Aston University opens hydrogen facility

In the UK, Aston University has opened the Wolfson Centre for Low Carbon Hydrogen, a new state-of-the-art facility dedicated to exploring hydrogen production from biomass conversion. The centre houses a pilot plant consisting of three core facilities – a high-pressure gasifier that converts biomass into a hydrogen-containing gas mixture, a palladium membrane reactor for separating high-purity hydrogen from the gas mixtures, and a solid oxide fuel cell that converts the purified hydrogen into electricity.
Based within Aston University’s internationally recognized Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), it is the first fully integrated UK facility for this purpose, and will help to advance the UK’s transition towards a net zero future. The centre will produce clean hydrogen and demonstrate its use in generating green electricity and has been designed to drive collaboration beyond academia.  The hydrogen produced is over 99.5% pure. Burning the hydrogen to produce electricity in a conventional engine would have a conversion efficiency of 25-35%. The fuel cell at the Wolfson Centre, however, has a conversion efficiency of up to 85%.