United Utilities Scales Hydrogen and Graphene Production from Wastewater

watermagazine.co.uk

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

United Utilities is scaling up technology to convert biogas from sewage into sustainable hydrogen and graphene. This project aims to produce hydrogen for transport and graphene for low-carbon concrete, potentially fueling a significant portion of UK bus and coach journeys. Additionally, the company is testing Super Critical Water Oxidation to reduce sludge volume in wastewater treatment. These initiatives are funded through Ofwat's Water Breakthrough Challenge to drive industrial decarbonization in the water sector.

3 comments

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The 75,000 tonnes of hydrogen figure is a big claim. I want to see the actual energy balance and the cost per kg compared to electrolysis. Is this a scalable industrial process or just a high profile pilot?

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The graphene for concrete is the more interesting part for me. If they can actually lower the carbon footprint of cement at scale, that is a huge win. The hydrogen side always feels like it has a massive gap between the demo and the actual pump.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see Ofwat using a challenge fund to push this. It shifts the risk away from the regulated asset base for a while. The real test is whether these technologies get integrated into the next price review period.

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

United Utilities is basically trying to turn sewage plants into chemical refineries. Hydrogen for buses and graphene for building materials is a decent way to monetize waste streams.