Europe currently produces 300 million tons of waste that has the potential to generate more than 30 million tons of renewable hydrogen. 
The decarbonization of the planet is one of the objectives outlined in the European project HYIELD. To achieve this goal, the decarbonization of an element such as hydrogen —currently responsible for over 2% of the world's total CO₂ emissions— resulting in green hydrogen is a pivotal aspect.

The HYIELD project has been approved for funding in the Horizon Europe call under the designation 'Demonstration Plant for Waste-to-Hydrogen Conversion.' This call is led by the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (Clean Hydrogen JU), the entity overseeing European Union funding and research and innovation activities related to hydrogen, to support the European Green Deal and the EU Hydrogen Strategy.

Green hydrogen is gaining increasing interest in Europe as a pathway to decarbonize various sectors, including energy-intensive industries, aviation, and maritime transport.

The €15.5 million project, co-funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership through the Horizon Europe program with a €10 million grant, aims to develop an innovative Waste-to-Green Hydrogen technology. It will run for the next 4 years and involves 16 partners from Spain, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Germany, and Switzerland.

The waste-to-hydrogen conversion plant will utilize WtEnergy Advanced Solutions' CleanTech gasification technology and H2Site's membrane separation reactor. It will be implemented at a CEMEX cement factory in Spain, where the green hydrogen will be used in cement production.

Throughout the HYIELD project's development, the plant is expected to process over 2,000 tons of waste and produce approximately 400 tons of green hydrogen. This hydrogen will be tested for industrial uses, such as clean fuels, fertilizer production, and more.

Over the four-year duration of the project, technologies and processes will be integrated to efficiently convert biogenic waste streams into high-purity green hydrogen at a highly competitive cost. The goal is to demonstrate its applicability in aiding the decarbonization of different sectors, including maritime transport, aviation, and energy-intensive industries.
 

https://www.industriambiente.com/noticias/20240123/inicio-del-proyecto-europeo-hyield-para-producir-hidrogeno-verde-a-traves-de-residuos
https://www.veolia.es/noticias/veolia-proyecto-europeo-hyield-produccion-hidrogeno-verde-residuos
https://www.esmartcity.es/2024/01/22/cemex-colabora-proyecto-europeo-hyield-producir-hidrogeno-verde-a-partir-residuos
https://www.cemex.es/-/fabrica-alcanar
https://hidrogeno-verde.es/proyecto-europeo-hyield-y-cemex/
 

DIRECT SDGs:

• (SDG 12)  Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

INDIRECT SDGs:

• (SDG 9) Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• (SDG 11) Sustainable cities and communities
• (SDG 13) Climate action

Justification:

• (SDG 12) Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns: The use of green hydrogen as an energy source in certain industrial processes may be the key to more sustainable production.
• (SDG 9) Industry, innovation and infrastructure: Global industry will benefit from this green energy resource
• (SDG 11) Sustainable cities and communities: The management of biogenic wastes, mostly from large urban centers, contributes to more sustainable communities.
• (SDG 13) Climate action: One of the main objectives of the program is the reduction of CO2 emissions through hydrogen decarbonization.

1. What will be produced with the green hydrogen generated at the Alcanar plant?
2. How much renewable hydrogen could be produced from the 300 tons of biogenic waste produced in Europe?
3. What kind of waste will be transformed into green hydrogen in the HYIELD project?
    

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