The UK government has launched a funding scheme to support technologies that produce hydrogen from sustainable biomass and waste.

Businesses, research institutions and universities can now bid for a share of £5mn ($6.8mn) of government funding under the first phase of the ‘Hydrogen Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (Beccs) Innovation Programme.’

The Beccs process produces hydrogen from biomass and waste using gasification. Solid organic material is heated to more than 700°C without being allowed to combust, releasing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide then reacts with water to form carbon dioxide and more hydrogen. The CO₂ can then be transported and stored underground using carbon capture and storage

£5m – Overall size of financing pot

The process is seen by the government as one of the few negative emissions technologies, as it can theoretically sequester carbon emissions removed from the atmosphere by sustainable biomass growth.

“This innovative technology offers incredible potential for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, crucial to reaching our net-zero goals,” says energy and climate change minister Greg Hands.

UK climate watchdog the Committee on Climate Change says negative emissions are essential for the UK to offset difficult-to-decarbonise sectors of the economy and meet its net-zero target.

Phased approach

In the first phase, any given project will be able to bid for up to £250,000 to help develop their plans and demonstrate the feasibility of their proposed innovation.

Further funding will be provided to support the most-promising projects as part of a second phase.

The scheme will be funded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (Beis’) £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean-energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s

The scheme hopes to see proposals across three broad categories: technologies that will optimise biomass and waste feedstocks for use in gasification; the development of advanced gasification technology components; and new biohydrogen technologies such as dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion or wastewater treatment.

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Author: Tom Young