Producing low carbon intensity hydrogen from biomass: a solution for low cost, low energy requirement of massive green hydrogen production

Patrice Mangin
Professor in management and bioeconomy/bioenergy, Chair at University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières

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Keywords: carbon, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, biomass, electrolysis

Low intensity carbon emission hydrogen is an increasingly sought-after fuel in a context of energy transition for an economy focusing on a reduced carbon footprint. For the production of renewable green hydrogen, technologies based on the electrolysis of water require substantial quantities of green electricity. The H2 V massive hydrogen production project to build a “zero emission” green hydrogen plant in the Bécancour Waterfront Industrial Park in Quebec (Canada) is presented. With a production of 50 000 tons per year, it will be the first and most important plant of the type. The commissioning of the plant is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. H2 V Green Bio-Hydrogen (GBH) production process is based on OMNI CT GPRS® proprietary technology followed by a water gas shift reactor and syngas cleaning to separate the stream into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The conversion technology of biomass to a hydrogen enriched syngas includes a plasma treatment during the syngas refining process that takes care of any tar formation. As the energy is provided by the biomass, the process requires about 5.25 less electricity than the conventional water electrolysis processes. Nevertheless, the remaining challenges to develop and implement such a large-scale biomass-based project will be presented and discussed.

Patrice Mangin is vice-president Innovation and Development of H2 V, a company aiming at mass producing green biohydrogen from biomass, and CEO and founding member of BioÉnergie La Tuque. He holds a PhD in Process Engineering and an Engineering degree from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble. Professor in management at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières, he holds the industrial research chair on the development of bio-economy and bioenergy and is both a member of the Innovations Institute in Eco-materials, Eco-products and Eco-energy, and an associate-member of the Hydrogen Research Institute. He demonstrates over 40-year successful record of accomplishments in the forest products industry. Authors of above 300 articles and 600 presentations at conferences, he received many prestigious awards for his career based on applying sciences to industry and economic development.