Industry in our region is strongly committed to developing hydrogen as an alternative to coal, natural gas and diesel. Its use is a crucial step towards achieving climate neutrality and reducing CO2 emissions.
Last May, Hydrogen Hub North-Holland was awarded Hydrogen Valley status and last month the hub was voted European Hydrogen Valley of the Year 2023. This is a European award for regions committed to developing a distinctive energy system based on sustainable hydrogen. That there are rapid developments in our region was evident only last week. Below is a compilation of various updates from the region.
Research plan NZKG Hydrogen Network finalised.
Hynetwork Services plans to build a hydrogen network in the North Sea Canal area. Hydrogen plays an important role in the Dutch energy transition. This requires a nationwide hydrogen network and part of that will be formed by the network in the North Sea Canal area.
In May 2023, the public was able to respond to our proposal for the routing alternatives, the variants we want to study further as well as an overview of the environmental impacts we want to assess. All responses were taken into account. Now the research plan is final: that is the Notitie Reikwijdte en Detailniveau (scope and detail memorandum).
This Scope and Detail Memorandum states why Hynetwork Services wants to develop the project, which alternatives and variants there are and which environmental effects will be assessed to what detail. These include the effects of noise during construction, effects on green spaces and impact on soil. These topics are examined in the environmental impact assessment (EIA). The independent EIA Commission has also looked at the proposal and its recommendations have been incorporated.
Once the environmental impact assessment is complete, the next step will be to propose the preferred route for the network. Again, this will be open to public inspection before the preferred alternative is finalised by the Minister for Climate and Energy with the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
World-wide first: hydrogen in Amsterdam
Bio Energy Netherlands‘ gasification plant in the port of Amsterdam succeeded in separating hydrogen from syngas, producing pure hydrogen from biowaste. Extracting pure hydrogen (99.999%) from this form of biowaste is a worldwide first. The plant has already been supplying green power and heat to a local heat network since early 2022.
The hydrogen’s high purity means it can be used as a renewable fuel for cars and buses, or as a raw material for chemical processes. After scaling up, production can be increased to over 4,500,000 kilos per year, enough to supply 100 cars per hour.
The project is co-sponsored by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and the AKEF (Amsterdam Climate & Energy Fund).
Negative Co2 emissions
Bio Energy Netherlands’ plant only uses non-recyclable local/regional waste wood (from a radius of no more than 150 km from the plant in Amsterdam), including pruning waste, which has no other possible use. Converting this to hydrogen through gasification as opposed to burning results in a 99% reduction of nitrogen emissions, while the gasification process itself releases no particulate matter at all.
Because the CO2 released during the conversion to hydrogen is captured and with the CO2 uptake by the growth of the (pruned) biomass, the process leads to negative emissions. The captured CO2 can then be used in horticulture, by breweries, in the chemical industry, in e-fuels or be stored. A total of 65,000 tonnes of CO2 can be saved per year.
The residual products are the captured CO2 and ‘biochar’, a ‘carbon sink’ that can be used as a soil enrichment and improvement agent. Biochar is a solid, stable form of CO2 storage, which does not enter the atmosphere.
Technology
Thanks to a patented gasification technique by Net Zero Hydrogen, it is now possible to produce syngas with an extremely low tar content on a commercial scale. The syngas is first compressed, heated and then steam is added, after which a low-temperature water-gas shift reactor causes the CO to react with the steam (H2O) to produce hydrogen (H2) and CO2.
By adding a pressure exchange adsorption module, with a filter that reacts to all gases (including CO2) except hydrogen, the CO2 is then captured and only pure hydrogen (H2) remains.
The plant in Amsterdam can be expanded to six gasification reactors, each with a maximum capacity of 6MW. The modular structure allows larger projects to be developed. In Delfzijl, in the far north of the country, Bio Energy Netherlands has now obtained a licence to install a total of 16 reactors of also 6MW. Together, these will achieve an annual production capacity of 45 million cubic metres of green gas/bio-methane (CH-4), a one-to-one replacement for Groningen gas.
About Bio Energy Netherlands
Bio Energy Netherlands focuses on converting sustainable biomass into syngas. This gas is used to produce green hydrogen and green gas. Bio Energy Netherlands’ site in the port of Amsterdam has been fully operational since 10 January 2022 and has been producing sustainable syngas 24/7 since that time.
