BEEAH Energy and UK-based Chinook Sciences signed an agreement Monday to develop the Middle East’s first waste-to-hydrogen plant. The plant will produce green hydrogen.
Hydrogen has often been touted as a fuel of the future, helping to decarbonise industries that are difficult to electrify, such as shipping. Green hydrogen is one form of hydrogen that is being developed, and is used to describe hydrogen that is created using renewable, climate-friendly energy, such as, in this case, waste.
“We are excited to be creating the first waste-to-hydrogen solution in the region and support the UAE government in its hydrogen economy ambitions, energy diversification and decarbonisation efforts,” Khaled Al Huraimel Group CEO of BEEAH said in a statement.
Non-recyclable waste wood and plastic will be processed at the plant using Chinook RODECS gasification and pyrolysis technology. The plant will produce 18,000kg of green hydrogen a day when operating at full capacity.
“We are excited to work with BEEAH Energy and use our patented RODECS gasification and pyrolysis technology in the UAE to produce fuel-cell grade hydrogen for their fleet,” Dr. Rifat Chalabi, Chairman and co-founder of Chinook Sciences Group said.
“The technology breaks down hydrocarbons from waste through advanced thermal treatment to release and recover green hydrogen. Then, when the green hydrogen is used in vehicles, it emits only water as a by-product,” he added.
The UAE already has a stated aim to become a global hydrogen hub. At the COP26 UN Climate Conference last November, the country said that it is targeting a 25 percent share of the global low-carbon hydrogen market by 2030.
The new plant will not only produce green hydrogen, but will host a hydrogen fuelling station, producing enough fuel cell grade hydrogen for “several large trucks and buses every day,” according to the statement.
“BEEAH has always recognised the value of energy recovery from waste, and this new project will not only showcase the potential of waste-to-hydrogen, but it will also support a circular economy across multiple fronts throughout the region,” Al Huraimel added.
In attendance at the signing was also Simon Penney, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Her Majesty’s Consul General for Dubai, who noted that the agreement is another example of collaboration between the UK and UAE.
“The partnership between Chinook Sciences and BEEAH Energy to develop the region’s first Waste-to-Hydrogen plant is a fantastic example of UK and UAE innovation and ambition, contributing to the sustainable economic growth of both nations,” he said.
