Mar 17 2016
H2ALRECYCLING is a Valencian project for designing and building a pilot plant to transform hydrogen fuel cells from industrial waste.
H2ALRecycling pilot plant
The project is funded under LIFE, the European Union’s finance program that promotes innovative technologies to support nature conservation, climate action, and the environment. H2ALRECYCLING is a four-year project to design and build a pilot plant for testing new methods to generate hydrogen for fuel cell applications. Scientists have performed a chemical reaction between aluminum and ammonium hydroxide, which are by-products obtained from other industrial processes.
The primary aim is to obtain hydrogen through a method based on the reaction between water and aluminum. The hydrogen produced is utilized to power fuel cells to generate energy for various other applications.
The H2ALRECYCLING project has confirmed the feasibility of hydrogen as a clean and profit-making substitute energy source, which could revolutionize the energy model and provide sustainable solutions for the society.
Three Valencia-based organizations make up the project consortium: the Instituto Tecnológico de la Energía (ITE), an international research center receiving support from the regional government of Valencia, and the Polytechnic University of Valencia; JAP Energéticas Medioambientales S.L., a research institute primarily engaged in investigating the application of hydrogen for generating power; and INDETEC, the research wing of Grupo Vento, an engineering company involved in technological development.
The pilot plant was built near the Pedralba, a town in Valencia, to investigate and optimize the different variables involved in the production process. This study presented a technological challenge for the consortium. The challenge can also be an opportunity for many domestic and international technological companies to structure their research and development strategies.
Today, hydrogen fuel cells are employed in the telecommunication, defense, and aerospace sectors. Projects such as H2ALRECYCLING bring advanced technologies closer to society. As a result, obtaining hydrogen in a clean manner without emission of harmful greenhouses could soon become a reality.