Scaling up hydrogen

Why it Matters

The quest for cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy includes not only energy generation but also energy efficiency, flexibility and reliability, new energy vectors - such as hydrogen - new energy sources, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and energy storage. 

Collaborate to innovate

The university and PETRONAS have entered a research partnership to jointly develop cost-effective technologies to produce hydrogen from biomass waste, in line with both organisations' aspirations for a carbon-neutral future and a circular economy.   

The £1M research project is a collaboration under PETRONAS Centre of Excellence in Subsurface Engineering and Energy Transition (PACESET), one of the three Global Technology Centres established by PETRONAS and its academic partners to advance low-carbon and cleaner energy solutions. 

The research is focused on the development of new technologies to process and create hydrogen from different biomass waste products, completing a circular economy pathway and producing higher volumes than those currently achievable from existing production methods. The focus is on technology that can scale because hydrogen remains a small contributor to our overall energy mix. For net-zero ambitions to be met, this needs to change rapidly. 

The focus is on technology that can scale because hydrogen remains a small contributor to our overall energy mix. For net-zero ambitions to be met, this needs to change rapidly.

Leading expertise

Professor Raffaella Ocone, a world-renowned expert in particle technology, is leading this research as part of the substantial effort contributing to the energy transition, in the Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering (IGE).

Professor Ocone's work applies process engineering and chemical reaction engineering methods to tackling the multiple scalability challenges of current production and storage methods. Biomass and biomass-derived fuels are studied for their capability to produce hydrogen, sustainably.

The work in the PACESET centre is part of the university's wider effort in bringing together diverse expertise to provide a full spectrum of solution towards hydrogen production, storage and distribution. Within the newly formed iNetZ+ Global Research Institute, Professor Ocone - together with Professor Peter Cummings - is co-leading the hydrogen theme bringing together engineers, scientists, geologists, industry partners and social scientists, with strong emphasis on the development and employment of responsible technologies and on the creation of the skills that will be required in the energy transition arena.

Further information can be found in Prof. Ocone's profile on our Research Portal.