immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Holzabfälle

  • New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    H2 Bois has a new minority shareholder. According to a press release, the Vaud-based energy supplier Romande Energie will acquire a 33.7 per cent stake in January 2025. Groupe Corbat, based in Vendlincourt JU and active in the timber industry, will then hold 50.3 per cent and the consulting firm Planair Vision SA, based in La Sagne NE, 16 per cent of the company they founded in 2021.

    H2 Bois plans to build a plant to produce hydrogen from wood waste in 2025 and put it into operation in 2026. The production process also produces biochar, which can permanently store some of the CO2 contained in the wood. When fully operational in 2030, the plant will be able to produce a total of 450 tonnes of clean hydrogen from 14,000 tonnes of wood and wood waste and store 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year. H2 Bois utilises technology from the French company Haffner Energy.

    The hydrogen is transported to an industrial zone in the village via a 1.5 kilometre long gas pipeline. There it is used by industrial companies and for mobility via a petrol station. The biochar is used in agriculture.

    For Romande Energie, the investment is a step towards a decarbonised western Switzerland. “This investment allows us to participate in a bold project that is a pioneer in Switzerland in the use of an innovative negative emissions technology,” said Jérémie Brillet, responsible for hydrogen at Romande Energie, in the press release.

    Benjamin Corbat, CEO of Groupe Corbat, welcomes Romande Energie’s involvement. “We are looking forward to the start of production, but also to breaking new ground in the local use of wood.”

  • Biohydrogen from wood waste

    Biohydrogen from wood waste

    Wood waste, which previously usually had to be incinerated or disposed of at great expense, is becoming a valuable resource. In the joint project H2Wood-BlackForest, Fraunhofer researchers and partners are researching new processes for the production of biohydrogen from residual and waste wood. The biotechnological approach uses hydrogen-producing bacteria and microalgae to exploit the full potential of wood waste.

    The aim of the project is to generate sustainable energy and reduce CO₂ emissions. The separation of wood into its components plays a central role in this. Cellulose is converted into sugar, which serves as a substrate for bacteria. The process generates hydrogen and CO₂, which is used in a further step to produce microalgae. These algae in turn produce pigments, starch and hydrogen.

    Pilot plant to start in 2025
    The process has a modular structure and combines innovative technologies such as the pre-treatment of wood waste by separating the wood fibers from lignin and pollutants. Fermentation, in which bacteria convert sugar into hydrogen and CO₂, and microalgae production, in which CO₂ serves as food for algae that produce pigments and biomass. “By using wood waste, we are creating a closed, sustainable cycle,” explains Dr. Ursula Schliessmann, Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer IGB. The modular pilot plant, which is due to go into operation at the Black Forest campus in 2025, offers ideal conditions for testing and further developing new technologies.

    Hydrogen roadmap for the Black Forest region
    Parallel to the research project, the partners are analyzing the hydrogen potential in the Black Forest region. The hydrogen roadmap shows how the regional demand for green hydrogen can be met in the areas of industry, transportation and buildings. It formulates clear recommendations for action: The expansion of the regional hydrogen infrastructure, the targeted promotion of research and development and the strengthening of sector coupling should accelerate the integration of hydrogen into the energy transition.

    “The Black Forest region has considerable potential for hydrogen production,” explains Vladimir Jelschow from Fraunhofer IPA. However, this potential can only be fully exploited through technological development and the targeted expansion of the infrastructure.

    A milestone for the circular economy
    The H2Wood project impressively demonstrates how innovative processes can make sustainable use of wood waste as a resource. The production of biohydrogen is not only an alternative to incineration, but is also actively driving forward the energy transition. The modular pilot plant and the hydrogen roadmap are important building blocks for a green, regional hydrogen economy in the Black Forest.