The ECLOSION project will develop new materials, technologies and processes for the generation, storage, transport and use in different applications, including vehicle fuel, of renewable hydrogen and biomethane, obtained from bio-waste (urban, agri-food, wastewater and sewage sludge).
The consortium, coordinated by Aqualia, has the collaboration of 10 prestigious research organizations, including research and technology centers (IMDEA Energía, CSIC, CIEMAT, CARTIF and AICIA) and universities (Valladolid, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Autónoma de Madrid and Girona), as well as seven leading companies in the development and implementation of the hydrogen and biomethane value chain: FCC Medio Ambiente, CADE, Ghenova, Ariema Enerxía, H2B2, Idecal and MindCaps
The project will validate disruptive thermochemical, electrochemical and bioelectrochemical systems powered by photovoltaic and wind energy for the energy use of biowaste and wastewater, transforming them into hydrogen and biomethane at low cost. The resulting gas mixtures will be purified using new membranes and an advanced process based on green solvents.
The optimization and combination of these technologies will allow a very significant reduction in the cost of obtaining hydrogen and biomethane. Also the separated CO2 waste streams will be processed by innovative bioelectrochemical systems to obtain biomethane thanks to the co-production of hydrogen in situ. ECLOSION includes innovative solutions that take advantage of existing infrastructures for the distribution and transport of hydrogen and biomethane.
The ECLOSION OBSERVATORY was created, in which 25 sponsoring entities and preferred users have already confirmed their participation, including three industrial associations, 10 industries, two consortiums (municipal and provincial), four supra-municipal administrations and six city councils. Four of the cities involved will cede their public facilities, which will be provided for the implementation and validation of the benefits of ECLOSION. These are the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) managed by Aqualia in Salamanca, Lleida and Jerez de la Frontera, and the Valladolid WWTP managed by FCC Environment. The selected venues have a remarkable track record in the development of innovative initiatives towards a circular, sustainable and decarbonized economy.
This project is an opportunity for economic reactivation focused on the energy use of local and regional resources around the promotion of green hydrogen and biomethane. The national deployment of this solution would allow reaching an annual capacity of 64 TWh of hydrogen (including 46.5 TWh of biohydrogen) and 8.8 TWh in the form of biomethane, which would mean an outstanding contribution of 4.8% to the national energy mix. In addition, it would guarantee reaching 2030 energy production objectives included in the Hydrogen and Biogas Routes, and would lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 13.8 million Tm CO2, 5.3% less compared to 2019.
ECLOSION has a budget of more than 6.5 million euros and funding of almost 4.5 million euros by the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), within the framework of the 2021 call for the MISSIONS SCIENCE AND INNOVATION Program 2021 (Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan), and has the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The aid granted to the project is financed by the European Union through the Next Generation EU Fund.
Source: Aqualia/FCC Medioambiente
