Region’s first ‘waste-to-hydrogen project’ to take shape in the UAE
Plant will break down hydrocarbons from waste to release and recover green hydrogen
Sharjah: The region’s first waste-to-hydrogen plant will be built in the UAE, following an agreement between Sharjah-based sustainability company Bee’ah and UK-based Chinook Sciences.
The ‘Waste-to-Hydrogen project’ is an offshoot of Bee’ah and Chinook Sciences’ $180 million (Dh662 million) waste gasification to energy project. It will address the increased market demand in the region for new sources of renewable energy, including green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and electrolysis to split water and is distinct from grey hydrogen, which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, said: “As a waste management leader in the Middle East, we are proud to pursue the first waste-to-hydrogen solution in the region. This project will showcase the potential of waste-to-hydrogen. Bee’ah, which operates in the UAE, KSA and Egypt, has always recognised the value of energy recovery from waste. Through this new project, we aim to support a circular economy across multiple fronts throughout the region,” he added.
Energy from waste
Dr Rifat Chalabi, chairman and CEO of Chinook Sciences, a leading industrial, renewable fuel and environmental technology company, said: “We are very excited to use Chinook Sciences’ patented RODECS gasification and pyrolysis technology in the UAE, which breaks down hydrocarbons from waste through advanced thermal treatment to release and recover green hydrogen. When the green hydrogen is used in vehicles, it emits only water and no carbon emissions.”
He added: “The cost of green hydrogen from the plant shall be very competitive and has the potential to be equal to or even less than the cost of diesel and gasoline. At maximum production capacity, the plant shall be capable of fuelling 1,000 hydrogen-powered large vehicles per day.”
Green and blue energy
The UAE earlier announced its aim to become a major hydrogen producer, and to reduce carbon emissions by 24 per cent by 2030. Plans include investment in green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy, like solar power as well as using carbon-capture technologies to create what is known as blue hydrogen.
Bee’ah chairman Salim Bin Mohammed Al Owais noted: “Green hydrogen will be a vital pillar of our future energy landscape and Bee’ah has been looking into this market for some time now with Chinook in alignment with our long-term strategy to develop new, sustainable energy solutions.”