Hazer proceeds with methane to hydrogen pilot plant

The board of Perth’s Hazer Group has given the go ahead for the construction of a full scale commercial demonstration plant to produce hydrogen from biogas.

The $16.7 million investment will result in a 100 ton per year plant utilising Hazer’s patented technology to produce fuel cell grade hydrogen at the Western Australian Water Board’s Woodman Point wastewater treatment plant at Munster.

The process will convert methane in the waste gases into hydrogen and graphite.

The graphite will capture some of the carbon produced in the chemical reaction, lowering the greenhouse intensity of the resulting hydrogen, though not fully eliminating it.

An associated hydrogen fuel cell power generation system will produce renewable power on the site, whichalso limits the carbon intensity of the plant.

The Hazer Process uses iron ore as a process catalyst. and the pilot plant is supported by a $9.4 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Meanwhile a new CSIRO report shows that clean hydrogen can significantly reduce aviation emissions with potential benefits seen within five years.

‘Opportunities for hydrogen in commercial aviation’, which had support from the Boeing Company, reports of the potential of hydrogen for niche airport applications such as ground support equipment as early as 2025.

Find the report here.

Picture: Australian Renewable Energy Agency

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