Advanced BioFuels USA

(Bioenergy Insight) Metacon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abwasserverband Kempten (Allgäu) (“AVKE”), based in Kempten, Germany regarding cooperation in the field of local, off-grid green hydrogen production from biogas using wastewater as methane source.

A hydrogen centre will be built on the site of AVKE to which Metacon will supply a mid-size HHG hydrogen generator which, after successful approval, will go into operation in the summer of 2023 to produce non-fossil hydrogen from biogas.

In the quarterly report for Q3, Metacon announced an increased strategic focus on the HHG product line and the opportunity to introduce grid-independent, local green hydrogen production from biogas all over Europe. Shortly thereafter, Metacon announced the CE marking of the first model in the HHG series, the HHG 40. Metacon now takes the next important step in the company’s roll-out plan with a key partnership in place for practical demonstration on the important German market.

With well over 10,000 biogas and wastewater treatment plants and an average plant capacity of over 100 Nm3 biomethane per hour, Germany has the highest biogas production density in Europe and thus, also the highest theoretical potential for the production of green hydrogen from domestic, electricity grid-independent, local and non-fossil sources.

Due to the significant market potential in the field of hydrogen production from biogas as well as the current rapidly growing hydrogen demand of more than 1.6 million tons per year, Metacon decided to establish local presence and to target strategic partnerships in Germany already in 2021.

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Franz Beer, AVKE’s business and operations manager, commented: “In the future, the Kempten Hydrogen Center will be expanded by the project partner Metacon to include an alternative production process. In addition to the electrolyzer from the municipal funding, a parallel project is being created with a reformer that converts biogas directly into hydrogen, without the “detour” via electricity generation. This not only offers the possibility of using a process that requires much less electricity, but also provides the opportunity to directly compare and evaluate two different processes in practice. Wastewater treatment in particular, but also biogas plants, are suitable for such efficient production methods for the generation of hydrogen due to their waste heat or the possibility of direct gas input. We are very much looking forward to the joint project with Metacon.”    READ MORE