Kent Partner with University of Manchester on £5.1 Million Hydrogen Project

• The £5.1 million collaborative project funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, specifically part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), aims to reduce the cost of decarbonisation and set the UK on the path to a low carbon future.
• The RECYCLE project (REthinking low Carbon hYdrogen production by Chemical Looping rEforming) will construct and test a fully integrated innovative hydrogen production unit at The University of Manchester.
• The technology is based on chemical looping reforming using fixed bed reactors which allow modular units and cost-effective solutions for hydrogen production using different feedstocks, with inherent carbon dioxide capture and separation at high purity.
• Kent will bring its capabilities in engineering and project development, to assess the chemical looping reforming process technically and commercially, against current best available techniques.
• Luigi Crolla, Head of Energy Transition Technologies at Kent, says: “We are delighted to be working alongside The University of Manchester in this cutting-edge project. It is aligned with Kent’s purpose to be a catalyst for energy transition and it brings an exciting addition to our low carbon hydrogen projects portfolio.”

Kent, a leading engineering company in the area of oil and gas, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and hydrogen (H2) technologies, has partnered with The University of Manchester to produce a new syngas and blue hydrogen technology with nearly zero direct carbon dioxide emissions.

The RECYCLE project (REthinking low Carbon hYdrogen production by Chemical Looping rEforming), a £ 5.1 million multi-organisation collaboration funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will construct and test a fully integrated innovative hydrogen production unit at The University of Manchester.

The technology is based on chemical looping reforming using fixed bed reactors which allow modular units and cost-effective solutions for hydrogen production using different feedstocks, with inherent carbon dioxide capture and separation at high purity.

The RECYCLE process provides a flexible method for hydrogen and or syngas production, while also showing economic potential benefits over other blue hydrogen production pathways.

RECYCLE technology could supply hydrogen to several sectors in the UK, focusing on smaller scale industrial sites, with its ability to tap into large demand sectors that require syngas to develop other low-carbon products.

Kent will bring its engineering expertise and commercial know-how, to complete a techno-economic study assessment of the RECYCLE technology in the capacity of producing hydrogen.

Luigi Crolla, Head of Energy Transition Technologies at Kent, said: “We are delighted to be part of this cutting-edge project. It is aligned with Kent’s purpose to be a catalyst for energy transition and an exciting addition to our blue hydrogen project portfolio. We look forward to working with the University of Manchester and the consortium partners to advance the progress of this novel low-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture technology."

Kent is involved in more than 50 Hydrogen projects worldwide, including HyNet, and is also a key player in one of the world’s largest CCS projects in Canada.

*Thumbnail image: The James Chadwick Building, home of the pilot plant and other facilities. Image provided by Manchester University.