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Could we produce hydrogen at wastewater treatment works?
7/9/2022
6 min read
Feature
How are we to optimise the production of hydrogen? Here, John Mullen, Amey Karnik and William David MacRae, all with global engineering company Ramboll, present the results of a study into using final effluent water as the feedstock for hydrogen production, with plenty of scope for onsite uses for the gases produced.
In 2020, the European Commission provided a final hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe to the European Parliament, Council, European Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions. This strategy emphasised the importance that hydrogen holds in the route to net zero, despite the difficulties and relatively slow uptake of the technology preceding 2020.
Since the release of the hydrogen strategy, a marked increase in hydrogen activity has led to scrutinisation of several factors in its production, including the source of the water required for electrolysis.
In March of the same year, Ramboll began a study commissioned in Scotland to investigate hydrogen generation by electrolysis of final wastewater treatment works (WWTW) effluent. When designing hydrogen production systems, the chosen water source remains a critical factor as many have highly stochastic flow rates, can vary in water quality and are often subject to strict planning regulations.