Project to convert sewage into a zero-emission fuel

A new project will convert sewage into hydrogen-fuel to power zero-emission vehicles. 

The project, which is a collaboration between Welsh Water, a non-profit water company, Cardiff Council and technology company Costain, will see biogas waste from sewage ‘sludge’ converted into hydrogen fuel, which will then be used to power zero-emission vehicles.

Sludge is a by-product of the wastewater treatment process, producing microbe-rich solid sewage, which can then be used as a biogas fuel.

The project has so far been awarded £60,000 from Innovate UK and it aims to push the production of this green fuel for hydrogen vehicles at one of the company’s four biogas sites.

Welsh Water is hoping to use this technology to decarbonise its entire fleet of vehicles – saving around 9,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and also significantly reducing their contribution to air pollution.

Tony Harrington, Welsh Water director of environment, said: ‘These projects are exciting developments to help us become not just a carbon-neutral business but one which produces its own energy using renewable sources – something we have targeted for 2050, but want to achieve as soon as possible.

‘This sewage-to-hydrogen fuel project is at the forefront of the innovation we need to pursue to meet these ambitious targets – and the funding from Innovate UK will help us on the way to de-carbonising our fleet of tankers.

‘Together with the huge advances in solar, wind and hydropower across our sites, we’re ever closer to reaching our goal of meeting all our energy needs in a sustainable way.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay