What is hydrogen?

Hydrogen is a chemical element, 14 times lighter than air, colour-/odourless, non-toxic and does not break down the ozone layer which is essential for human life. With a share of about 75 percent, a large part of the mass of our solar system consists of this gas.

It is a component of almost any organic compounds on earth and is in many respects the perfect fuel and raw material of the future.
As an energy carrier, it can be used in almost all energy-consuming areas – i.e. mobility, heat and electricity.
Therefore, hydrogen plays an indispensable role in the energy revolution. Unfortunately, hydrogen in its molecular form as H2 hardly occurs in nature.
It is mostly bound in water, H2O.

Up to now, sustainable hydrogen has been and is produced by electrolysis, by splitting water using regenerative electrical energy.

 

Infinite Fuels is taking a new path:

Hydrogen is also bound in the form of hydrocarbons!
For example, in waste wood, waste paper, fermentation residues from biogas plants, liquid manure or in plastic and packaging waste.

Hydrogen, which is literally lying on the road… as waste!

The Infinite Fuels Circular Waste-to-Hydrogen Economy

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Utilisation of the separated organic
waste fractions incl. plastic waste
as feedstock for Infinite Fuels
Hydrogen Production As pressurized Hydrogenor with novel
LOHC Liquid Organic Hydrogen
Carrier technology Fuel Cell applications e.g.
Cars, Busses, Trains, Ships
or combined heat and
power (CHP) -
Utilisation as feedstock
for the chemical industry
e.g. synthetic fuel production
(Kerosene, Diesel, Methane, etc.) Production of renewable feedstock for Infinite Fuels in form of continuous waste occurrence Waste is collected via
the existing or new
regional waste management
companies The relevant organic
waste fractions are
separated from total
waste volume for
Infinite Fuels
Hydrogen production

Comparison of Hydrogen Production Technologies

By using waste materials as feedstock Infinite Fuels hydrogen is far more economic than Green Hydrogen and it is more sustainable than Gray or Blue Hydrogen.

Green Hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water, using only electricity from renewable energy sources (Wind and solar energy) for the electrolysis. Regardless of the electrolysis technology chosen, hydrogen is produced CO2-free, as the electricity used is 100% from renewable sources and is therefore CO2-free.

Grey Hydrogen is obtained from fossil fuels. During production, natural gas is usually converted into hydrogen and CO2 under heat (steam reforming).
The CO2 is then released unused into the atmosphere, thereby intensifying the global greenhouse effect: the production of one tonne of grey hydrogen produces around 10 tonnes of CO2.

Blue Hydrogen is grey hydrogen, but its CO2 is captured and stored during its production (carbon capture and storage, CCS). The CO2 produced during hydrogen production does not escape into the atmosphere and hydrogen production can be considered CO2-neutral in the balance sheet.

Turquoise hydrogen is produced by the thermal cracking of methane (methane pyrolysis).
Instead of CO2, solid carbon is produced.

Infinite Fuels Waste-to-Hydrogen Potential based on first production plant design which processes plastic waste and waste wood

First INFINITE FUELS Production Plant – 2.100 t/a
Germany – 1.600.000 t/a
Europe – 4.900.000 t/a
Africa – 5.600.000 t/a
USA – 9.300.000 t/a
China – 15.700.000 t/a

Infinite Fuels Hydrogen Production Plant

INPUT

Infinite Fuels utilizes all kinds of organic wastes containing hydrocarbons as main energy source. e.g.:

wood / paper / 
green waste / sewage sludge / liquid manure / fermentation residues / biomass /plastics / packaging waste / used tyres / etc.

Electricity only required for auxiliary equipment preferably from renewable sources

OUTPUT

Hydrogen

The main product

Ash and CO2

The ash contains the inorganic fractions of the feedstock incl. nutrients and can be used as an additive for soil products in the agricultural industry. CO2 can be captured and stored or be used directly e.g. for green houses or for the production of building materials or carbon black

Advantages of hydrogen as an energy carrier

In terms of mass, hydrogen has the highest energy content of all fuels.

Hydrogen – 33,33 kWh/kg
Methane – 13,90 kWh/kg
Natural Gas – 13,60 kWh/kg
Gasoline – 12.00 kWh/kg
Diesel – 11.90 kWh/kg
Kerosene – 11,90 kWh/kg
Crude oil – 11,60 kWh/kg
Coal – 7,90 kWh/kg
Wood – 4,0 kWh/kg

One kilogram of hydrogen contains about as much energy as three liters of Gasoline or Diesel.
Another advantage of hydrogen is that its “combustion”, i.e. the reaction with oxygen in a Fuel Cell, produces only water. This leads to lower CO2 emissions and no fossil fuels are consumed.

Advantages of Infinite Fuels Hydrogen

  • The energy content of the produced sustainable hydrogen comes from waste which already exists in abundance worldwide and not from surplus high-quality renewable electricity
  • Plant availability: 7.500 full load hours per year including two maintenance revisions
  • It is far more economic than Green Hydrogen and more sustainable than Gray and Blue Hydrogen
  • With hydrogen from waste we can reduce our import demand for oil and gas
  • Avoidance of over-fertilisation and contamination of groundwater by recycling liquid manure, sludge such as fermentation residues, manure or sewage sludge in accordance with the EU – Nitrate and Water Framework Directive
  • Reduction of waste – landfills including their ongoing maintenance, monitoring, decommissioning and decades of aftercare
  • Unnecessary incineration of waste that could be recycled and avoided
  • Sensible and valuable reuse of plastic waste
  • Connection of the energy sector – waste management – mobility – district development
  • By producing hydrogen with the innovative Infinite Fuels technology we optimally fulfill the demands in the German “Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz – KrWG” (waste management law