WS31: Biomass and Hydrogen – Allies for Net Zero

Sustainable fuels such as biofuels and hydrogen will play an important role in clean energy transitions. They complement direct electrification and energy efficiency measures in reducing emissions in sectors that are hard to abate, while providing energy diversification, security, and economic development opportunities.

What is less known, however, that interesting synergies emerge when bioenergy and renewable hydrogen are developed in a more integrated manner.  Such opportunities are being explored in depth in the Workshop “Biomass and Hydrogen – Allies for Net Zero”, 15 May at IEA HQ in Paris, organized by the IEA Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme and the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme, and supported by the International Energy Agency.

The workshop aims to improve understanding of how renewable hydrogen can be produced directly from biomass, referred to as biohydrogen, and on its role within the energy system. It is an additional hydrogen production route to the well-known process via electrolysis, using renewable electricity. Production of hydrogen from biomass can potentially be integrated with capturing of the biobased carbon which would lead to so-called ’negative CO2-emissions’ when stored permanently underground. This would allow to effectively lower the -concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. The result is the availability of hydrogen with a net negative carbon footprint, which offers potential for financial rewards via Carbon Credits.

Secondly, hydrogen is already being used to produce biofuels today (e.g. in hydrotreated vegetable oils) and replacing unabated fossil hydrogen with renewable hydrogen in biofuel production pathways will further reduce their carbon footprint. It is expected that hydrogen will continue playing a key role to produce advanced biofuels, e.g. via hydrotreatment and to improve efficiency of fuel synthesis from biobased synthesis gas.

Moreover, renewable hydrogen can play a role to enhance the utilization of biogenic carbon in biobased conversion systems (e.g. gasification, anaerobic digestion, ethanol fermentation) where CO2 is generated as a co-product. By coupling renewable hydrogen to these CO2-streams low-emission e-fuels can be produced, providing the potential to substitute fossil fuel deployment. E-fuels are defined in the European Renewable Energy Directive as RFNBO’s: renewable fuels of nonbiological origin, based on the fact that the energy value originates from the renewable hydrogen. Several synergies are expected when integrating the production of RFNBO into biobased conversion processes, such as e.g. high CO2 concentrations and local infrastructure.

In this workshop, presenters will touch upon these integration options and their synergies, addressing opportunities and challenges, including environmental, socio-economic and regulatory aspects beyond the technological aspects. Following the presentations, panel discussions are organized to allow for interaction between speakers and participants of the Workshop as to discuss the role of biohydrogen and combinations of hydrogen and biogenic carbon within the future energy system, how to realize identified synergies and to understand what next steps are needed to accelerate these developments. The workshop brings together researchers, technology providers, policy makers and industry players and investors.