Aston University is to set up the first integrated center to explore low-carbon H₂ production from biomass conversion.

The new research center will be developed at Aston University with the help of a £300,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation, which will enable the University to acquire state-of-the-art equipment including for gasification, membrane separation and fuel cells. Having these technologies integrated within the new center will place Aston University at the forefront of H₂ production and utilization based on biomass conversion and will strengthen its global research reputation in these areas.

The new equipment will be installed at the University’s campus-based Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), which carries out world-leading research into new and innovative ways of converting biomass into sources of sustainable energy, using thermochemical, biological and catalytic processes.

It is expected that this research center will allow national and international collaborations on low-carbon H₂ production and use. The research topics will be closely aligned to both the UK Government’s target to transition to net zero by 2050 and to future sustainable energy worldwide.

Professor Patricia Thornley, director of EBRI, said, “We are delighted to receive this generous grant which will help place EBRI at the forefront of H₂ technology development in the UK. Researchers have a crucial role to play in supporting new energy technologies and this new facility will contribute to the Government’s 2050 net zero target.”

“As well as all the new opportunities this holistic and novel approach will bring, it will involve diverse stakeholders including policy makers, academics, industrialists, etc. I am looking forward to using the new facilities to support industrialists and developers progressing technology scale-up in this important area.”

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said, “Aston University’s Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute is well-placed to support the UK’s continuing journey towards achieving net zero. We are delighted to be supporting new facilities which will help them deepen their collaboration with industry in efforts to generate, store and utilize sustainable H₂ as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. It is a crucial area of research.”

Aston University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aleks Subic, said, “This new center will help strengthen Aston University’s place as a national and global center of expertise for future energy.

“It will build on existing relationships with our industrial partners, facilitate future research collaborations, as well as support teaching of our students to make them better equipped to tackle one of the grand challenges of the 21st century. We are extremely grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for their continued support and for helping to make this center possible.”