first-of-its kind sewage waste gas to hydrogen pilot being delivered

In the UK, a first-of-its kind project to use gas from sewage waste to produce clean hydrogen is being delivered at United Utilities’ largest wastewater treatment works in Manchester. The water company for the North West has joined forces with leading Cambridge-based climate tech firm Levidian to demonstrate the opportunity for biogas produced from wastewater to create hydrogen and super-material graphene – the thinnest and strongest material ever to be discovered. 

The trial is taking place at Manchester Bioresources Centre, part of Davyhulme Wastewater Treatment Works, where modern-day sewage treatment processes were first developed back in 1914.  Supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme, Levidian’s LOOP device uses electromagnetic waves to split methane gas (CH4) into hydrogen and carbon, capturing the carbon in solid form as graphene. The lower carbon blend gas is then fed into United Utilities’ onsite generator where it is burned to help power the site.  

The graphene produced has a multitude of use cases, from extending the life of tyres and driving down the carbon footprint of concrete, to boosting the performance of batteries and solar panels or creating cut resistant fibres. Research by the firms has identified the opportunity for biogas generated from sewage waste to be used as a fully sustainable feedstock to produce up to 75,000 metric tons of hydrogen a year – enough to fuel over 40% of all UK bus and coach journeys – playing a key role in the UK’s transition to net zero.