What we all refer to circumspectly as “number two” is being used to power cars at the number-one public fueling station of its type, worldwide.
The world's first sewage-powered hydrogen fueling station is now open to drivers of hydrogen-powered cars at Exit 405 off the Freeway at Euclid Avenue in Orange (News - Alert) County, California. The converted waste offers the equivalent of 70 miles per gallon.
The fueling station is actually on the premises of the Orange County Sanitation District's wastewater treatment plant. Biogas from the sanitation facility is being used as the as the key component of a new fuel cell. .The fuel cell comprises a combined heat, hydrogen, and power system that co-produces hydrogen in addition to electricity and heat—making it a tri-generation platform.
The tri-generation platform is integrated with a hydrogen purification system to recover about 100 kilograms(kg )of hydrogen per day. Only the hydrogen is sent to the public fueling center, which can support between 25 and 50 fuel cell electric vehicle fill-ups per day. The fuel cell also produces approximately 250 kW of power for use by the wastewater treatment plant.
This on-site approach to hydrogen production advances hydrogen infrastructure technologies that will accelerate the use of this renewable fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
“Innovations like this demonstrate how American ingenuity and targeted investment can accelerate breakthroughs in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry while driving the clean energy economy forward,” said DOE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy Steve Chalk. “By providing the added value of electricity and heat, this approach provides a significant step in overcoming economic challenges with hydrogen refueling infrastructure.”
"This is a paradigm shift," said National Fuel Cell Research Center Director Scott Samuelsen on opening day, August 19. "We'll be truly fuel-independent and no longer held hostage by other countries."
He continued, "This is the epitome of sustainability. We're taking an endless stream of human waste and transforming it to transportation fuel and electricity. This is the first time this has ever been done."
The project was developed as a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, California Air Resources Board (News - Alert), the Orange County Sanitation District, and private industry. The project is managed by Air Products and additional partners include FuelCell Energy, Inc. and the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California, Irvine.
In an official statement, the U.S. Department of Energy commented, “The … fuel cell system could offer a pathway to low-cost hydrogen and also demonstrates the versatility of fuel cells to utilize multiple feedstocks, such as biogas and natural gas, to produce power and renewable hydrogen that can be used to fuel light duty vehicles such as forklifts or as backup power in applications such as cell phone towers."
The new fueling station runs primarily on biogas, but the system can also use natural gas to sustain a consistent feedstock in the case of any disruption in biogas availability or quality.
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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
