| April 23, Day 1: | 10:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. | 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. | 2:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. |
| April 24, Day 2: | 10:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. | 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. | 2:30 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. |
Producing green hydrogen from water is a well-established and commercially viable technology. One of the primary challenges associated with green hydrogen production in a global hydrogen economy is the availability of clean water for hydrogen generation on a large scale. While water treatment constitutes only 5% of the overall cost of producing green hydrogen, this expense can significantly escalate if impure water is used.
Wastewater treatment is another well-recognized and commercially available technology that has been effectively utilized in the industry for decades. The treatment of wastewater is a crucial responsibility of any operational plant and community, as it is essential for upholding a clean and sustainable environment. Effective wastewater treatment ensures compliance with environmental regulations and supports sustainable development, although it incurs substantial costs for industries and communities.
The proposed concept aims to identify opportunities for providing clean energy while simultaneously addressing environmental issues and minimizing costs by developing innovative processes that integrate existing processing units. This approach offers a solution for wastewater treatment while generating clean energy.
Several technological options exist for producing hydrogen from wastewater, including:
Biological Methods: Techniques such as fermentation and microbial electrolysis utilize microorganisms to generate hydrogen from the organic matter found in wastewater.
Photocatalysis: In this process, light-driven reactions combined with catalysts produce hydrogen from wastewater.
Supercritical Water Gasification: Under high temperatures and pressures, organic matter in wastewater is converted into hydrogen.
Each of these technologies presents unique challenges for scaling-up. The proposed solution leverages vacuum distillation technology to treat various types of wastewater, transforming it into clean water suitable for electrolysis in hydrogen production. This approach combines readily available technologies that can be deployed at scale, delivering cost-effective hydrogen without jeopardizing communities’ access to clean water.